


Purgatory

by Likeitmatters



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Angels, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Girl Penis, Good and Evil, Shapeshifter, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-01-08 08:24:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 54,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12250641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Likeitmatters/pseuds/Likeitmatters
Summary: Nicole Haught is just trying to find a place to fit in.  Will Purgatory be the place she can finally build a life or will her past and circumstances catch up to her?-Not my characters, no copyright infringement intended.  Just taking them out for a bit of a spin.





	1. Happy Hour

**Author's Note:**

> After finally jumping on the Wynonna Earp train, I just had to throw my hat into its fanfiction world. You could call it canon adjacent with all the characters not being %100 percent human and also falling into alpha/omega categories.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

She forages in the deep pockets of her worn, faded peacoat and closes her eyes slowly as she feels around and only comes in contact with coins. _Can’t even afford a fucking beer._

She turns to leave the bar when a sweet, lilting voice stops her. “Hey, it’s happy hour, first drink is free.”

 

She almost doesn’t turn around. She knows damn good and well it isn’t happy hour and this ghost of a bar in a town known for ghosts (among other things) isn’t giving away free alcohol.

 

She hates when people think she’s a charity case.

 

Still, after the night she’s had, she really, really needs a drink.

 

So she turns around and is met with the face of an angel. Her eyes immediately find the floor, embarrassed with her state of dress, her circumstances, her very self.

 

“What will it be? A beer?” The woman asks, her eyes squinting adorably as she looks over the stranger. “No, something stronger…” She muses, seemingly to herself. The tall, lithe red-head is instantly intrigued at what the sweet natured bartender will come up with as she studies her. Her legs take her to the bar without her consent and she sits down gingerly on the bar stool, waiting patiently.

 

“Whiskey sour.” The smaller woman states triumphantly and the stranger bows in mild shock. When she brings her eyes back up to meet kind, bright, hazel eyes she swears she sees her future.

 

 _Jesus, you are losing it…_ She tells herself. She hasn’t had human contact in so long and this woman is being kinder to her than anyone in recent memory.

 

“Uh, yes. That would be fine.” She mumbles, unable to take in the regard this woman’s eyes hold her in.

 

“I’m Waverly, by the way.” She says over her shoulder as she grabs a glass.

 

“Nice to meet you, Waverly.” The red-head says as amicably as she can.

 

Waverly returns with the glass and begins to pour her drink. She looks up at the stranger once, expectantly and then a second time a bit longer. The pain and loneliness is coming off the woman in waves.

 

“Normally, you’d give your name too.” She smirks as she takes her eyes off the woman and back down to her drink.

 

 _My name._ It honestly takes her a full second to remember.

 

“Sorry. It’s Nicole.”

 

“Well, Nicole. My boss is on vacation, so if you’d like to keep them coming, let me know. On the house.” Waverly winks.

 

Nicole feels a tingling down low and pulls her drink nearly out of the woman’s hand and downs half of it in one gulp.

 

Waverly’s eyebrows nearly touch her hairline at the move. She quickly begins to make another.

 

Nicole takes a deep breath, relaxing into the warm sting of the alcohol. Her senses come alive instead of dull and she takes a covert sniff and is overwhelmed and confused by the scent of the woman behind the bar. She’s ovulating, or maybe in heat and her smell is sweet and heavy, almost cloying. She isn’t a pure omega, but not fully human either.

 

Waverly seems to notice what Nicole is doing and drops her head shyly, lilting a bit towards Nicole and sniffing as well. Nicole watches her closely, intently, waiting for some acknowledgement of what they are, what she thinks _she_ is.

 

“What brings you to Purgatory, Nicole?” She asks instead.

 

Nicole almost lets the truth spill from her lips. She feels like she’s suddenly under some spell and she can’t figure out if it’s the alcohol making its way through her system or the sweet scent of the omega-like creature that is making her body respond in kind. One thing is for sure, the beautiful hazel eyed bartender knew there was much more to her that met the eye. She wasn’t sure if she should run in fear or explore that fact the way her body is suddenly telling her to.

 

“Drifting through.” She answers instead. It’s not really a lie. Like most creatures and otherworldly beings, she was drawn to the newly opened gaping hole between the netherworld and this one. She was hoping that for once, she could find others like her. Perhaps find some sort of acceptance.

 

“You sure something didn’t lead you here?” She asks quietly and there’s a visceral shift in the air between them. Nicole downs the rest of her drink. She makes no secret of sniffing the air now and Waverly’s lower abdomen twitches at the action.

 

Nicole swallows hard, gripping the tumbler tightly, trying to tamp down her urges. She swears this beautiful creature she’s only met ten minutes ago is sending her into spontaneous rut. She’d only had one other encounter with an omega at some seedy underground sex club for female alphas. That was her only frame of reference and her body’s reaction to this sweet and kind bartender was scaring her.

 

“Thanks for the drink.” She gets out as she slips off the barstool and rummages through her pockets, grabbing all the coins she has and slapping them onto the bar. She’s out the door before Waverly can even register what happened.

 

She watches the door swing heavily on its hinges and once the alpha was out of sight, she sags against the bar, putting a hand to her chest and clinching her legs together to quell the relentless tingling and wetness she can still feel.

 

“What the fuck was that about…” She mumbles to herself, her eyes wide and staring at the ground in disbelief.

 


	2. Something Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments. Not exactly sure where this is headed, but if you guys like reading, I'll keep at it as I'm settling in to the characters as I write.

Waverly was very young when she learned the truth of Purgatory. Being an Earp, one got a quick education. Despite the knowledge that a certain number of the townsfolk weren’t really townsfolk at all but cursed demons, she had elected to stay in the small town.

 

Her uncle and aunt had urged her to move out, move on, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave. She knew part of it was because her remaining immediate family, her older sister Wynonna, would one day return. She felt obligated to be here when she did. She’d been through so much. The town had not been kind to her sister once she’d brought a name and attention to the cursed demons and after being hospitalized against her will for nearly two years, she’d fled. But Waverly knew one day she’d be back. She had to.

 

The other reason, the one she had a hard time admitting to herself, was that she was scared. Scared of what the outside world held. Scared that they’d realize she was different. She’d seen so much and experienced so much in her 21 years that she had little idea on how to relate to people and places that would just laugh her out of town if she told any part of her story, her family history.

 

And despite being an Earp, Purgatory had been kind to her. She had gained a reputation of being the town sweetheart, an omega with a heart of gold and a smile that could make anyone’s day a bit better. She was proud of that. Here in Purgatory, her life was fairly set and she was okay with that. She worked at Shorty’s bar in the evenings, attended satellite college courses at Purgatory’s community center and also took online courses to get her degree in Ancient History and then teach at the high school when the ancient Ancient History teacher, Mr. Creek, retired.

 

She’d eventually say yes to Champ and they’d make their home at the old Earp homestead, the only place she felt safe raising their future kids.

 

But as she climbed the stairs to the tiny apartment above Shorty’s after closing, her mind kept going back to her brief encounter with the tall, redheaded stranger, an alpha female with eyes full of sorrow and face full of secrets that had confounded her and had her questioning the life she had mapped out before her.

 

…

 

Nicole’s eyes popped open and immediately her nose took in the damp, cold earth and the musty smell of decomposing pine needles and leaves. A bitter, cold breeze finds its way through the shallow ditch under the fallen log she’s curled up under and she’s instantly reminded of her nakedness.

 

She panics suddenly, not remembering the moments before she shifted. Had she made it out of the bar, away from human eyes before her body began to betray her? She pokes her head up over the log and scans the area. It looks remote enough. She slowly gets up, taking care to stay low, despite the freezing ground, searching for any signs of blood, bone, clothing.

 

She spots her shredded pants and thankfully her coat that is in fairly good shape still. She breathes a sigh of relief as things begin to come back to her. The angelic face, the drink, her body responding to the beautiful bartender. She’d made it to the clearing before beginning the change.

 

She orients herself and begins to trudge back into the forest where she’s stashed her duffel bag. It held all of her possessions and she’d taken care to put it in a well-hidden place until she needed it.

 

 

Once she had on her second to last pair of pants and long sleeve shirt, she shrugged her coat back on. She pulled on a pair of boots that were half a size too small, but at least her feet were of the frozen ground. She knew she must have looked a mess still, but at least she was clothed. She pulled the necklace out of a small pouch in her bag and studied it, slipping it on and tucking it under her shirt. She patted it reverently and headed back to town, hoping to find some sort of work so she could at least get a room to rent and some food in her belly.

 

She had no idea where to start and thought briefly about going back to the bar to ask the woman, Waverly, if she knew of any one hiring but she was afraid to approach her again after what happened. Besides, it was morning and the bar would still be closed.

 

She found her way back to the main road that led into town and began walking the half-mile back towards it.

 

 

“What in the world?” The man says to himself as he slows his truck down as he approaches a lone figure walking on the other side of the dirty snow bank towards town.

 

His surprise is compounded when he sees that it is a woman, in a tattered coat, looking like she spent the night out in the elements. Her hair was dark and a bit matted on one side and her coat was covered in leaves with some mud all along the bottom.

 

“Miss?” He calls out, quite a ways behind her as not to scare her. Surely she heard the engine, but had not acknowledged she was being followed.

 

She turns and sees an older man in overalls and a red cap, a look of utter concern on his face. His eyes held a sweetness to them that made Nicole feel at ease as they had a certain familiarity to them.

 

“I’m… just heading into town.” She stumbles, pulling her coat around her tighter to ward off the mid-morning chill.

 

“I could take you? I was on my way to pick up some gardening supplies.” He says pulling the truck to a stop.

 

She only pauses a moment, thinking that if he did try anything, he’d get a lot more than he bargained for if he made her angry, or scared.

 

“Thank you.” She says with a small half smile. She climbs into the truck without another word and the man looks at her for a few seconds before finally pulling back onto the road.

 

The cab of the truck is silent except for the soft whistle of the heater and the low hum of some honky tonk song playing on the radio. The old man wants to ask the woman what she’s doing walking on the outskirts of town in her state, but he’s not sure how to.

 

“My name is Curtis, by the way.” He says and looks over at the woman with a warm smile.

 

“I'm Nicole. Thanks again for giving me a ride.” She says, finally warming up now that she’s out of the elements. She knows the fur she grows when she changes keeps her warm as she sleeps off her transition, but once its gone, her human body is at the climate’s mercy. She can’t count the number of times she’s woken up outside or in abandoned buildings. She knows it’s a true miracle that she hasn’t been captured or killed at some point.

 

“Of course. I don’t normally see people out in the cold, walking…” He starts up, hoping to sound casual as he prods for information.

 

“Yeah, I.. my car broke down and…” She starts, looking over at the man and his concerned warm hazel eyes. She doesn’t have the heart to lie.

 

“I’m kind of in a bad spot right now.” She says after a beat and lowers her eyes. She does not make it a habit of asking for help, well, she never does, but there’s something about this man that makes her think she can. “I was wondering if you knew anyone who was hiring. I am good with my hands and strong.” He gave her a kind but skeptical look and she added, “much stronger than I look. I’m handy and not afraid to get dirty.” She says and gives him a rare, small dimpled smile as she waves her hand at her appearance.

 

He brings his eyes to the road, seemingly going over something in his head. She leans back and waits, hoping he can come through with something.

 

“I’ve got a small ranch.” He points behind him with his thumb. “I could always use someone who knows how to put in a good day's work. I’ve got a no good, lazy ranch hand right now that I only keep on because he’s dating my niece. I’ll be happy to tell him I found someone more reliable.” He smiles wide as he looks at her.

 

Her eyes light up and a look of surprise falls over her face, stretching the long scar that goes from eyebrow to jaw bone.

 

“If it isn’t too much trouble for you, I’d appreciate that very much.” She says in mild disbelief.

 

“Perfect. Can you start immediately? Like when we get to town? You can help me load up all my supplies. I’ll advance you so you can get yourself some stuff, unless you have another duffel bag or two with you?” His smile tells her his words are rhetorical and she just gives him a sheepish look as she is taken aback by his generosity. All of her instincts are telling her this will end badly, just like everything else in her life has, but for once, she decides to just take in the opportunity she’s just been given. Maybe this will be the start of something good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Yes, Gus

Waverly is studying at her desk in the tiny apartment that she has called home since graduating high school. She wanted some autonomy after living under her Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis’ roof after she found herself an orphan at six. They’d been amazing surrogate parents to her and she owed them a lot. She was afraid to ask for her own space but neither blinked an eye and they immediately thought of the apartment above Shorty’s, which Curtis and Gus had owned for years.

 

She’d quickly made it her own, turning it into a bright, soft space perfect for a young woman coming into her own. She would have liked to have moved back out to the homestead, but it had fallen into disrepair after she’d been taken in by her aunt and uncle and until she knew when she would be moving back there and could save up some money, she was unable to hire anyone to make the repairs.

 

Of course, Champ had offered, thinking it would get Waverly to marry him that much sooner, but as soon as he saw the scope of work needed, he’d been dragging his feet. It had been a little over a year since she talked about starting to fix it up and he’d worked perhaps three weekends on it, finally giving up when it got to be too much for his skill set and attention span.

 

But she didn’t mind the little apartment. She liked being in town and in the thick of things. It didn’t matter that not a whole lot happened (if you excluded the demons mucking about on occasion), she was close to everything she needed.

 

Still, she longed for the comfort and safety of the Earp Homestead. Even though some pretty horrible things happened there, it was home and she always felt destined to make it her own and spend the rest of her days there.

 

“What time is it?” A deep, sleep-slurred voice comes from her bed, breaking her out of her thoughts.

 

She squints at the alarm clock not a foot from Champ’s head on the nightstand. “9:18.” She says and studies the well-built man in her bed with ever increasing indifference as his good looks and charm had given way to complacency and entitlement.

 

“Shit, I was supposed to meet Curtis early to help replace a gate.” He half whines and falls back down into the pillow, scrubbing his face.

 

Waverly bites her tongue. She knows it’s useless to chastise him about being responsible let alone respectful. She simply turns back around and starts back on her studying, wondering, not for the first, or even tenth time, what the heck she was still doing with Champ Hardy.

 

…

 

“When you said you were strong, I didn’t realize you really meant it.” Curtis laughs when he sees Nicole not only pick up the wrought iron and wood gate, but hold it level and steady as he attaches the hinges.

 

Nicole grunts out an acknowledgment, hoping the old man doesn’t actually realize just how strong she actually is. She’d had to learn on her own what her physical abilities were and she quickly realized how different some of them were from normal humans.

 

“Alright, let her down. Should be nice and secure.” He says and Nicole releases the gate, finding it well supported. She swings it open and closed a couple of times to make sure it’s lined up and level.

 

“Nice work.” She grins and the old man returns it.

 

“How about some lunch?” He says as he bends over to start putting the tools back in the toolbox. She quickly leans down to help.

 

“Sure.” She says, taking the box from him and heading to the barn. “I’ll meet you at the house?” She confirms and he nods with an appreciative grin.

 

 

“Did you get any more out of her?” Gus asks when Curtis comes into the kitchen to wash up. He turns to his wife and shakes his head slowly.

 

“She’s a pretty closed book, that one.” He says, his lips drawing a taught line in mild frustration. When she’d refused to take a room in the house, preferring to set up a cot in the barn, the older couple looked at each other with concern. They thought perhaps she was uncomfortable being under the same roof as two strangers or she didn’t want to seem to take advantage, but as Curtis spent more and more time with her, he’d gotten a sense that it was something more.

 

“She just seems like she’s been through so much. The way she seems almost scared of us, and that horrible scar. Sometimes she looks so worn out, even first thing in the morning…” Gus says sadly with slow shake of her head.

 

“Well, whatever her story is, I think she’s starting to like it here. She laughed and genuinely smiled twice this morning.” Curtis says brightly.

 

“I’m sure none of it was in response to any of your corny jokes.” She chuckles as she hears the front steps creak. She grabs the plate of sandwiches and heads to the dining room. “Now if only you can get her to come through the front door without waiting to be invited in at meal time.” She smiles teasingly at her husband, making him shrug helplessly.

 

 

The trio enjoy a mostly quiet but amiable meal and are nearly done eating when they hear a truck pulling up in front of the house.

 

“Well, about time that no good…” Curtis starts, but stops with a stern look and gentle hand on his arm from Gus. “I’ll be right back.” He gruffs and excuses himself, tossing down his napkin and heading out the front door.

 

Both women finish eating in silence, trying to ignore the muffled conversation out front. Nicole surmises it is the no good, lazy boyfriend of they’re niece getting the boot. He doesn’t sound too happy about it and for a moment, she feels guilty.

 

“It is a long time coming.” Gus smiles warmly at Nicole as if she can read her thoughts.

 

“I don’t want to cause any trouble.” She says in a way that makes Gus’ heart clench a bit.

 

“How long have you been here, three days?” Gus asks and Nicole nods, confused at the non sequitur.

 

“And how often have you seen Champ around?” She continues.

 

Nicole gives her a half smile, understanding her point.

 

“You do twice the work in half the time, three times better, Nicole. Curtis is over the moon to have found you.” Gus states and can’t help but smile wide when she sees a full dimpled grin in response.

 

When the voices outside begin to get louder, the older woman stands and grabs a couple of dishes. “Help me take these plates in?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Nicole says and quickly stands and grabs the remaining dishes and follows her into the kitchen. It’s as far as she’s been in the house and she can’t help but look around a bit. She almost drops her dishes though when she spots a photograph of a very familiar face. She’s quite a bit younger, but there’s no mistaking who it is.

 

Gus, seeing the woman stop, walks over to see what has caught her attention.

 

“That’s our niece, Waverly.” She says warmly.

 

“I.. uh… met her, at the bar, when I first got to town.” Nicole says quietly.

 

“Yes, she works at our bar, Shorty’s. Nearly taken it over for us. So smart and hard working, that one.” Gus states proudly as she leaves Nicole there and goes back to the kitchen.

 

Nicole gazes for a few more seconds before following Gus back to the kitchen. She sets the dishes down and looks out the front window, seeing who she assumes is Champ, looking rather unhappy, getting into his truck and pulling around in front of the house and back out the way he came.

 

 _And that must be Waverly’s boyfriend_. She thinks, surprising herself with the level of jealousy she feels. She quickly thinks of something else to get her mind off of it.

 

“Thanks for lunch, Mrs. McCready.” Nicole says and begins running the water for the dishes.

 

Gus almost stops her, but she decides she’d like to spend a bit of time with the tall woman, perhaps get her to feel more at ease. _Or at home._ The thought comes to her mind unbidden.

 

“I wash, you dry?” The older woman suggests and Nicole stills her movements, the look of surprise quickly replaced with a small nod and grin.

 

“And if you call me Mrs. McCready or ma’am again, I’m going to stop serving you my homemade apple pie after dinner.” The older woman adds lightly, chuckling when she hears a mumbled, _‘Yes, Gus.’_


	4. The Replacement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is going to be an angsty, slow burn. Everyone ok with that?

Waverly is putting the finishing touches on her make up when she hears the familiar sound of Champ’s boots on the stairs leading up to her apartment. She sighs heavily, hoping he would forget the weekly Sunday dinner they have at her aunt and uncle’s. She’s still angry with him for messing up so bad with her uncle that he finally fired him. It didn’t matter at the loss of income - that was his deal. What mattered to her was that he’d let her uncle down.

 

She hurried up so she could just meet him at the door. She didn’t want to deal with trying to get him out of her apartment and making them late.

 

She’s actually surprised he didn’t want to skip this week as he’d not only gotten fired, but had also received a dressing down from Curtis, to hear her uncle put it. Normally when things didn’t go Champ’s way, he’d go off and pout for a while, going on a multi-day drinking binge with a few of his rodeo buddies. She kind of wished he had.

 

She pulled the door shut and gave him a tight smile before watching him turn and clomp back down the stairs. He’s already in the truck by the time she reaches the passenger door.

 

The silence is awkward and all she can think to talk about is what he’s going to do for work now. She doesn’t want to start fighting before dinner though.

 

“I think I can switch one of my satellite classes to an online course.” She tries brightly, figuring steering clear of the elephant in the room might ease the tension. He grunts absently. It makes her mad.

 

She pushes back into her seat with force, bristling. “I’m surprised you wanted to join me for Sunday dinner.” She says trying for casualness even though she just wants to demand he drop her off and leave.

 

“Why? I always go with you.” He states without looking at her. She decides not to respond, not caring enough to figure out if he’s being obtuse or just that clueless as to how much he let her uncle, and her, down.

 

She sits quietly, deciding just to let things be for now. She finds herself wondering if the new ranch hand would be at dinner. Curtis said he’d hired someone that seemed down on their luck and was actually staying in the barn for the time being. When she expressed concern, he dismissed it, saying it wasn’t a problem for he or Gus. She knew her aunt and uncle to be a good judge of character.

 

 

They pulled up to the front of the house and as Waverly was getting out she saw a tall figure with a baseball hat pulled low, a pair of loose fitting jeans, flannel shirt and heavy work boots, heading around the barn carrying a large sack of feed. She wouldn’t have taken a second glance except for the small pony-tail sticking out of the back of the hat, flaming red in color.

 

“No way…” She murmurs as Champ stops next to her, eyeing the newcomer as well.

 

“Guess that’s my replacement.” He shrugs and his tone surprises Waverly. It sounds almost like regret, not the indignation she would expect to hear.

 

She stands there, waiting to see if the person is coming back around until Champ calls to her. “Coming.” She says and reluctantly turns, making her way up the steps.

 

 

They are all sitting in the den making small talk when they hear the front door open. “I’ll be right back.” Gus says as she stands up quickly. Waverly has half a mind to get up and follow, but stays put. She listens intently, trying to make out the muffled conversation until she hears someone heading upstairs. Gus returns shortly and takes her seat.

 

“Nicole will be down in a few, she’s just cleaning up.” Gus says with a smile, looking at Champ quickly before she gathers up Curtis and Champ’s empty beer bottles.

 

This time Waverly does follow her into the kitchen.

 

“So is this Nicole your new ranch hand?” Waverly asks, trying to keep her acute interest hidden.

 

“Yes, Curtis literally found her on the side of the road. Poor thing looked liked she’d been through a lot.” Gus answers with a frown.

 

Waverly just nods and goes about getting plates down to set the table. When she comes back in the kitchen, she asks, “How long has she been with you?”

 

“Going on a week now. She’s been great. With Champ being…” Gus lowers her eyes, not sure how to diplomatically explain his laziness to his girlfriend.

 

Waverly shakes her head and puts a hand on her aunt’s forearm. “I know how Champ is, aunt Gus. You don’t have to sugar coat it for me. He was a crappy ranch hand.” She says with a small, understanding smile.

 

Just then, a freshly showered Nicole steps into the kitchen, having come down the back stairs.

 

“You are so quiet. Like a cat.” Gus laughs as she puts a hand to her chest in mild surprise.

 

“Sorry.” She says with big eyes as she sees Waverly for the first time since the night she fled from the bar, aching and in need.

 

“Nicole this is my niece, Waverly…” Aunt Gus starts and then catches herself. “You guys have actually met, right?”

 

“Yes.” Waverly says with a warm smile, not even wondering how Gus could know that. She looks the redhead over, noting she looks much better than she did at the bar. Her clothes are clean, hair shiny, her face filled out a bit more since she’s getting well fed, she’s sure, by Gus. She tamps down the memory of the last few moments when Nicole ran out of the bar and that strange aching she had experienced.

 

“Nice to see you again, Waverly.” Nicole says quietly, almost shyly as she reaches to shake the woman’s hand. Once their palms meet, a warmth spreads through them and they both try to hide their smiles as they let go after a few seconds.

 

Gus, can actually feel a connection between the two, but can’t quite pinpoint its nature. She does know it’s strong, however.

 

“Waverly, help with the rest of the dishes?” Gus asks with a warm smile.

 

“Of course.” She answers, turning from the tall woman and grabbing the potatoes and bread.

 

Nicole looks around for something to help out with but Gus just kindly shoos her into the dining room.

 

 

There is a subtle tension in the air during dinner the moment Curtis introduces Nicole to Champ. They seem to automatically be sizing each other up.

 

Champ keeps asking questions of Nicole and the whole table can see she has no interest in answering any questions that have to do with her past or where she came from. Champ keeps probing though despite Nicole’s tight-lipped, one word answers.

 

Waverly sees this and since she can’t reprimand Champ without causing a scene, she begins to intercept the conversation and talk about her current studies.

 

And that’s when Champ sees it. As soon as Waverly takes over, Nicole, who had seemed aloof and uncomfortable most of the meal becomes absolutely focused on his girlfriend. She listens intently and shares small bits of knowledge she has about the subject of Greek antiquities and as the conversation flows to Waverly’s future plans, Nicole is full of questions.

 

Soon it seems like there’s just those two having dinner. It infuriates Champ, but he knows blowing up would only drive Waverly away.

 

He’d known he was on thin ice when Curtis fired him. He’d wanted to come to dinner tonight to beg for a second chance. But he realizes he’s quickly been replaced at the farm and not only with a woman, but a woman who seems quite interested in _his_ Waverly.

 


	5. I Trust You

Now that Waverly knew Nicole had stuck around, gotten a job with her aunt and uncle, no less, she finds herself thinking about the tall redhead often. Especially when she’s tending bar. Every time the door opens, no matter where she is in the establishment, she peeks up and over, hoping to catch sight of someone tall with fiery red hair.

 

It had been almost two weeks and she was having ideas about making a special trip out to the ranch just to run into her. She had been disappointed when they had gone to last Sunday dinner and had been told by Curtis that Nicole had left that afternoon after work and told them she wouldn’t be back until the morning. It took true restraint not to question him further.

 

Meanwhile, Champ had been acting like a different person. It seemed being let go by Curtis had really lit a fire under his ass and he’d not only announced he would be taking the preliminary law enforcement exam again, he was actually studying for the thing. He’d even opted to stay at his parents’ (where he still lived) instead of coming over to Waverly’s at night so as not to be distracted.

 

It was a shock to Waverly, but not an unpleasant one. Since graduating high school, it’s all she’s ever wanted to see Champ do. Put his mind to something and follow through.

 

He’d also been way more attentive when they were together, which Waverly certainly noticed and was pleased with. Damn if he wasn’t growing on her again, reminding her of why she fell for him in the first place in their early days of high school.

 

But two weeks of improved behavior wasn’t enough time for Waverly to believe in a permanent change. She’d been very close to closing out the chapters of her and Champ, but now she has decided to wait and see. Time will tell, as they say.

 

With Champ busy studying for his exam, her days have been filled with studying too of course, but also of thinking about Nicole. She knew- _smelt_ \- how different she was that night at the bar and it intrigued her and even scared her a bit. Her family line was no stranger to human and human-like biological _variances_ and that of course gave her insight into why her body responded the way it had to the alpha woman. But she also sensed there was much more to the redhead that met the eye, or nose, for that matter. She yearned to find out, but wasn’t sure how to go about doing that.

 

She glances at the clock in the bar and realizes her shift is over in ten minutes. She decides after a couple hours of studying, she’d go pay aunt Gus and uncle Curtis a visit.

 

 

…

 

 

Nicole sits back on her heels and brushes the soil from her hands. She watches as Curtis fiddles with the watering line, getting the holes to line up perfectly with each freshly planted seedling.

 

She closes her eyes as a brief flash of memory overcomes her. It’s her and her grandfather, bent over a wild crop of squash, laughing at their odd shapes, his weather beaten, golden brown hands tracing the tough skin of the fruit as his long, ebony ponytail whips around in the swirling, cool autumn wind.

 

“Curtis, your love affair with these tomatoes has to stop.” They hear Gus tease lightly from the porch.

 

“Oh honey, it’s just a labor of love I cannot quit.” He calls back playfully making Gus and Nicole chuckle.

 

“Well, you better get cleaned up. We have dinner in town.” Gus reminds.

 

“Oh right, date night.” He gives Nicole a wink that makes her laugh outright.

 

They both stand and Curtis gives his tomato garden another long look.

 

“I’ll make sure the water is getting each one. Promise.” Nicole says as she looks at the old man, knowing how important they are to him.

 

“I trust you.” He says with a grin, his tone meant to be taken to heart. Nicole nods, a warmth spreading through her chest at the earnestness of his words.

 

They quickly fall back into their stoic regard as Curtis nods and Nicole turns and walk towards the water control valve.

 

 

 

 

Nicole is lying on her cot reading when she hears a car pulling up to the house. She gets up and pulls on her boots and goes to see who it is since she knows it isn’t Curtis’ truck.

 

She sees a red Jeep and watches from the barn door as a diminutive figure climbs out. She immediately recognizes Waverly and steps back to unlatch the barn door.

 

She watches as Waverly climbs the porch stairs and peers into the kitchen window.

 

“They went to dinner in town.” Nicole says from a good distance as not to scare the woman. Waverly turns around quickly and says a quick, ‘Oh’.

 

“I was.. just reading…” Nicole gestures to the barn. “When I heard your Jeep.” She finishes.

 

“Oh. Yes, Gus says you’re staying there.” Waverly says as she descends the steps as Nicole makes her way closer too so they aren’t shouting at each other.

 

“I just popped by for a…” Waverly says, not thinking quickly enough on her toes for an excuse as to why she showed up unannounced in the evening.

 

“They should be back soon I imagine.” Nicole lets her know. “Do you want to wait…”

 

“Oh, I have a key.” Waverly says, patting her jacket pocket.

 

“Oh, of course.” Nicole says sheepishly thinking she’d have Waverly come hang out in the barn with her. _Stupid, why would she want to do that?_

“Actually, have you had dinner? I haven’t, and I know Gus always has leftovers.” Waverly asks suddenly.

 

Nicole knew that Gus would bring her back something, the older woman insisted, but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spend some time with Waverly.

 

“Sure.” Nicole answers with a small smile.

 

“Cool.” Waverly smiles wide and turns back up the stairs, unlocking the door and letting them in.

 

They go straight to the kitchen and Waverly pulls out some food as Nicole grabs some plates.

 

“How are your classes going?” Nicole asks as Waverly turns the oven on.

 

“Really good. About to wrap up the semester so I’ve got some finals coming up.” Waverly answers as she puts the dishes in the oven.

 

“Should be a few minutes.” She says, gesturing to the little breakfast nook and they both have a seat. “Want a beer?” Waverly asks suddenly, getting back up. If Nicole didn’t know better she’d think she was nervous.

 

“Oh, sure.” Nicole answers, eyes following the woman’s movements.

 

She pulls out two bottles and opens them up and comes to sit back down.

 

She hands one to Nicole and holds hers up for a cheer. Nicole gives a slow smile and clinks hers to Waverly’s waiting for the woman’s toast.

 

“To Gus always having delicious leftovers.” Waverly giggles and Nicole gives her a dimpled grin as she nods in agreement and takes a pull of her beer.

 

“And to homemade pie.” The redhead adds and Waverly nods enthusiastically at that.

 

They sit for roughly fifteen minutes just talking about Waverly’s current classes and what Nicole has helped with around the farm and expressing how grateful she is for the opportunity the older couple has given her.

 

Waverly takes the statement as permission to ask some questions she’s been dying to have answers to.

 

“So, when you said you were just passing through Purgatory…?” Waverly prods gently.

 

“I’ve been on my own for a long time. Moving around from place to place. I find it hard to fit in and I know that Purgatory is a town that is… tolerant… of things out of the ordinary.” Nicole answers cautiously. Obviously the two have scented each other out, but Nicole is reluctant to speak more about her other traits.

 

“Yes, people do tend to take things in stride her in Purgatory, though I think its more that people just don’t want to call attention to the fact that the town is built on mysterious curses and supernatural happenings.” Waverly says, then abruptly widens her eyes as she looks at Nicole. “That’s the first time I think I’ve ever said any of that out loud to someone not family.” She explains with awe.

 

Nicole gets a bit of a wistful look in her eyes as she looks down at her beer. Waverly watches her carefully.

 

“How about your family?” She asks. She has a feeling that it might be a sensitive subject.

 

“They were all killed when I was young.” Nicole states while still looking down at her beer.

 

Waverly sits back in her seat, shocked and saddened, she’d figured there was maybe an estrangement of sorts. “Nicole…” She starts, her eyes big, sympathetic.

 

“I had an aunt take me in for a few years and then when I was old enough to get a job, I went out on my own. It was better that way.” Nicole explains.

 

Waverly is quiet, taking in this heartbreaking information. Still she has questions, but she decides to keep them to herself. If Nicole wants to confide in her at some point, she’d welcome it.

 

The timer went off, breaking into the sad silence that had settled between the two. Waverly quickly got up and began taking the hot dishes out of the oven. Nicole surprised her by coming up behind her with the plates.

 

“Figured we could just serve ourselves here since the dishes are hot.” She shrugs and hands Waverly a plate.

 

“Good thinking.” She says and absentmindedly touches one of the hot dishes, pulling her hand back with a hiss.

 

Nicole quickly takes Waverly’s hand in hers, inspecting the burn. “Ouch.” She whispers sympathetically. “Come here.” She says, gently pulling Waverly with her. She turns the tap water to cool and puts Waverly’s hand under it, rinsing it gently.

 

“You know where Gus keeps her bandages?” Nicole asks after a few minutes of wordlessly running water over the burn.

 

“Yes, in the medicine cabinet in the upstairs bathroom.” Waverly says, touched by the care Nicole is taking with the small burn.

 

“Be back in a second. Don’t let anything touch it.” She says, eyeing the red, slightly blistering skin.

 

“Okay.” Waverly says slowly, sitting down at the small breakfast table and smiling to herself in warm amusement.

 

She hears Nicole bounding down the stairs with a Band-Aid and before she knows it, the red haired woman gently applies it to her hand. “That will keep the dirt out.” She says as she looks up at Waverly. Waverly smiles her thanks and Nicole just nods and Waverly can swear she sees a slight blush.

 

They stare at each other another beat until Waverly remembers their abandoned leftovers. She begins to stand when Nicole puts a hand on her shoulder, stilling her.

 

“I’ll get us plates.” She says with a small smile.

 

They eat in silence, but not uncomfortably, both taking turns looking at each other surreptitiously until they hear the sound of Curtis’ truck pulling up to the house.

 

 

 

 


	6. Enough

Waverly wakes with a start, heart pounding, skin covered with a light sheen of sweat as the intense orgasm begins to dissipate. She swallows hard and sits up, her hand going to her chest as the last vestiges of the dream she’d been having clear away. She’d had sex dreams before, but this one had her cumming in her sleep. It was so vivid, she looked to see if in fact Nicole had crept into her room. She’s not sure if she’s relieved or disappointed when she turns to find Champ snoring softly beside her.

 

She throws the blankets off of her and slips out of bed, padding over to the small kitchen sink to get herself a drink of water. She walks over to the window and looks out into the clear, dark night, her mind instantly recalling the dream.

 

_They were in Nicole’s small bed in the barn and she could smell the damp mustiness of it, like after a heavy rainstorm. She was naked and lying on her side facing the taller woman. She brought their lips together and then Nicole was sliding on top of her, her cock hard and ready. Waverly could feel herself leaking from her pussy as Nicole gently pushed her way inside…_

Waverly gasps quietly as she recalls the very last second of the dream before she woke up, wet and pulsing. She downs her water and heads to the bathroom to pee and clean herself up. She realizes as her body remains warm that she’s beginning her heat. She quickly rummages through her medicine cabinet finding her suppressants before Champ can wake up and smell her. She hates taking them because they always make her head feel clouded, but she doesn’t feel like fighting with him about their joining, especially since he’d recently passed the preliminary law exam and had been making more overt hints at wanting to finally settle down.

 

_“I thought this is what you wanted? Me to finally get my shit together so we could get married, start a family…” He all but pouts as he follows her around the empty bar as she finishes her cleaning duties before closing._

_She pauses and sighs quietly as she ponders his words. What she wants? More like what she felt was her fate. She turns to look at him, really look at him. She thought when he’d passed the exam she would get those old feelings back for Champ. He was finally living up to the potential Waverly always thought he had in him. And yet the thought now of settling down with him was unbearable. When did he stop becoming enough for her? She knew the answer, but it still made no sense to her._

She refills her water glass and swallows the tablets. She sets the glass down and stares at her reflection in the mirror, feeling truly conflicted about her path for the first time since she was a teenager.

…

 

 

“Goddamnit.” Curtis hisses as he kneels down next to the mutilated calf. Nicole circles around it, relieved when she doesn’t pick up her own scent on the poor thing. Even in her changed state she knew she wouldn’t take down something she couldn’t consume entirely in one feeding.

 

“Looks like coyotes.” She surmises, knowing their work well. “Must have been scared off though if they didn’t finish it.” She continues at the amount of flesh left on it.

 

“I’ll have to come out more often at night.” He grouses. Nicole silently helps him lift the carcass onto an old tarp so they can bring it back down and burn the remains.

 

“I can do that. Not much for sleeping anyway.” Nicole offers. She’s out a few nights a week anyway running the hills, sometimes in her human form, sometimes not.

 

“Oh I couldn’t ask you to do that on top of all you already do. You work too much as it is.” He replies with a mixture of frustration and resignation.

 

“I don’t mind, honestly.” She tells him, stopping to look him in the eye. “Have Gus throw in an extra pie a week and it will be more than worth my time.” She gives him a dimpled grin and he’s so pleased to see it, he nods his agreement.

 

…

 

When Saturday rolls around, Nicole decides to go into town and pick up some new clothes. She’s given in to the notion that she likes to take some time and consideration when dressing for Sunday dinner when she knows Waverly will be there. She still feels as drawn to the bartender as she did the first night they met but has kept her distance on account of the silent warning Champ sends her way any chance he gets.

 

She certainly isn’t afraid of the alpha. She considers them on equal footing physically and if she wanted to challenge him, she’s pretty confident she could beat him. But that is an arcane way of doing things and definitely not her style anyway. She’s seen what abusing alpha privilege can do and wants no part of it. Her life is complicated enough with the other trait that was passed down to her. If she’s being truthful, her life is way too complicated to even entertain the thought of being Waverly’s mate, despite the visceral reaction they had to each other that first night.

 

“I’ll take these.” She informs the shopkeeper, setting down a pair of dark jeans, a pair of gently used boots she found in the second-hand section and a couple of soft flannel button downs.

 

The shopkeeper rings her up and bags her items telling her to say hi to the McCready's. She smiles and responds with a _‘Will do!’_ before heading out the door and towards the bookshop down the street.

 

…

 

 

“Come on, we’re celebrating.” Champ announces as he blows in to Shorty’s as Waverly is just removing her apron at the end of her shift.

 

“Celebrating what?” She asks with a mildly amused smile as Champ does a silly little jig as he makes his way to the bar. Her smile slips as she can see and smell he’s already been celebrating whatever it is he’s so happy about.

 

“Nedley offered me a training position at the station.” He says, attempting to sound proud, but his words are a bit slurred.

 

“Wow. That’s great.” She says, her enthusiasm for his news greatly tempered by the fact he probably got the news several hours ago and she was just hearing about it now, when he was already plastered.

 

“Me and the boys were at Dave’s having a few beers but I wanted to celebrate with you.” He says, wagging his eyes clumsily. “Let’s go upstairs.” He whispers in her ear as he meets her at the bar opening, half dragging her into him.

 

She pulls away, looking at him incredulously. “I thought we were going somewhere to celebrate.” She asks but then feels the bulge against her hip and sighs inwardly. She allows him to lead her up the stairs, hoping she’ll be able to get in the mood enough to enjoy it.

 

 _Who am I kidding?_ She thinks to herself, realizing she needs to sit down with Champ and have a serious conversation.

 

…

 

Nicole pulls her coat a bit tighter around her waist through her pockets, contemplating actually buttoning it up when she sees a dark, large figure leap over the split rail fence into Curtis’ field. Instead of flashing light on it, she crouches down and follows it as quickly and quietly as she can. How she wishes she could control her change as she knows her other form would have a much better chance tracking whatever it was. It didn’t move like an animal, but it didn’t seem human either. She mutters under her breath when she loses him over the small hill at the back of Curtis’ property.

 

At least now she knows there _is_ something out there mutilating Curtis’ cattle and it _isn’t_ a coyote. She’ll be more prepared the next night.

 

 

 


	7. Much to Talk About

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a roll now. Thanks for commenting that you are still enjoying. Did I say this was canon adjacent? I lied. Just picking up plot points and using characters at this point.
> 
> As for shapeshifting, alpha/omega stuff, I'm purely making all this stuff up how I want, so don't come at me with 'this isn't how it is, how is that possible?' etc.... I'm just writing what comes into my head. Enjoy it or not!
> 
> Two things you can count on (eventually): Champ being an asshole and getting what's comin' to him and Nic and Waves gettin' together!

Nicole is knee deep in mucking out stalls when she hears Waverly’s Jeep pull up to the main house. She’s memorized the engine sound and quickly glances at her watch, thinking she’d worked all the way to dinnertime. It’s only three o’clock though and she wonders what Waverly is doing here so early.

 

She’s just rinsing off her boots when she hears one of the tack room doors open. She peeks around the corner and smiles when she sees Waverly walking purposefully towards her.

 

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Waverly asks with a courteous smile spreading across her lips. Nicole nods eagerly and shuts off the water.

 

“I was wondering if you could help me out with something. Gus and Curtis’ 30 year anniversary is coming up and I wanted to make them something special. I found this old frame back at the Earp Homestead and was going to get a copy of their wedding picture and put it in it, but it needs some repair.” Waverly explains, gesturing to her Jeep.

 

“I’d be happy to help.” Nicole offers with a smile. She hadn’t spent much time with the omega since last Sunday’s dinner and that was pretty limited due to Champ being there.

 

“I have it back at the homestead. It’s pretty big and I didn’t want to move it on account of breaking it.” Waverly adds with a hint of hesitation. “I was thinking after dinner tonight, you could come over, bring some tools and fix it there?” She asks with a crooked smile.

 

“Gladly.” Nicole responds, excited and a little nervous at the prospect of spending some alone time with Waverly. When Waverly continues to stand and look at Nicole, Nicole asks if dinner is early today.

 

“Oh, no. I just came by early to pick Gus’ brain about an anniversary party. Just getting some ideas on where she wants it and when. I’m the planner.” She says, pointing her thumb at her chest and smiling wide.

 

“Got it.” Nicole says with a small smile that shows a bit of her dimple. Waverly finds her feet rooted to the spot as Nicole kicks her boots against the side of the wall to knock some water off. Nicole looks up and Waverly smiles sheepishly.

 

“You are of course invited… to the party.” She says quickly. “I’ll see you inside for dinner tonight, right?” She adds with a hopeful smile.

 

“Yep.” Nicole answers, her smile widening and causing Waverly’s heart to speed up. She tries not to think of the dream she had a couple of weeks ago. She knows she needs to leave now or she’ll begin flushing red.

 

“Okay, bye.” She says in a rush and makes her way back out to the main house, leaving a wide smiling Nicole to finish up her work for the day.

 

…

 

 

“Where’s Champ?” Nicole asks after a few minutes in the Jeep with Waverly. She’d enjoyed the banter with the brunette during dinner and really didn’t want to bring up Champ’s absence. But now, curiosity was getting the better of her and she wondered what kept him from dinner, not that she minded one bit.

 

“Oh, Sheriff Nedley has him shadowing one of his deputies.” Waverly answers neutrally. She thinks back to the conversation she’d had with Curtis about it a week ago.

 

_“So, Champ passed the preliminary law enforcement exam, finally. He’s at the station filling out paperwork, but will be here later.” Waverly announces to Gus and Curtis as she helps to set the table for Sunday dinner. She hears Curtis snicker and looks over at him quizzically._

_“Yeah, Sheriff Nedley told me when I ran across him at Shorty’s. He couldn’t believe it. Thought he’d have him ride with Deputy Smith for a while so he could see just exactly how much work goes into being a deputy. He thinks he’ll last a week, maybe two.” Curtis says with a shake of his head._

_Waverly begins to defend her boyfriend at Curtis’ surprisingly blunt observation about Champ’s aversion to hard work. But the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes he has probably just been holding back for her sake. After firing Champ, he’s become a lot more candid about what he thinks about the alpha and the shift in her gentle uncle’s demeanor has Waverly’s instinct to defend Champ disappearing with the truth of his words._

Nicole keeps silent, mentally shaking at the idea of Champ Hardy with a badge and a gun. Surely the Sheriff won’t hire him?

 

Waverly lets the silence settle as she nears the Homestead. So many memories, both good and horrible, come to her unbidden, but they are not as affecting this time.

 

She had come to the homestead a few days ago, something calling her to come see it. She’d try to stay away, always leaving with a sense of helplessness that she couldn’t get the run down place back to its original state. She’d thought a few times to ask Curtis and Gus for help, but as far as they knew, she had no desire to go back and fix it up. Besides, she’d felt bad even thinking of them sinking their money and work into this place when they’d done so much for her already. She knew she had to find a way to do it herself somehow, but thinking about that now was too daunting, especially if she could muster the courage to end things with Champ once and for all and be on her own.

 

 

Nicole sits up taller in her seat when they approach the Earp homestead. It was like walking back in time. Her eyes widened as she took it all in from the barely standing barn to the dilapidated front porch of the main house to the missing windows on the second floor and piles of rotting wood that littered the front side of the house.

“I hope you have your tetanus up to date.” Waverly chuckles as she pulls in next to the side of the barn that looks the sturdiest. They hop out and Nicole follows Waverly through a door with only one operating hinge.

 

“I was just picking through some stuff and came upon this frame. It sat above our fireplace until my mom moved out.” She says and with help from Nicole pulled it free from a broken rocking chair it was under.

“I know that they wouldn’t want me spending a lot of money on their gift, but I wanted it to have some meaning. This frame has been in my mom’s side of the family for many years…” Waverly says, sighing when she feels herself getting a little emotional. She’s yet to tell Nicole about her family history, the curse, her father and sister’s death. She looks up into patient, sympathetic eyes and feels she could tell the tall woman anything without judgment.

 

“Come one, lets get this out and into the back so we can get it fixed, huh?” Waverly gets out with a small smile, opting to take it to Shorty's to fix instead of trying to do it here.

 

Nicole silently follows head swimming with a multitude of questions, realizing she doesn’t know much about Waverly beyond her classes, her boyfriend and she’s close with her aunt and uncle. _What happened here? Why did it fall into disrepair? Where is the rest of her family?_

 

They head back to Shorty’s to work on the frame, Nicole carrying the frame carefully as Waverly leads the way with her bag of tools. They set up on an old table in the back alley as Nicole gets to work reattaching the two broken sides, patching some chipped corners and then finally sanding it down. Waverly looks on until she gets to the part she can do herself, the staining.

 

“Wow, it looks amazing, Nicole, thank you so much.” Waverly says as she sets the frame up so it can dry. Nicole watches a flash of emotion in Waverly’s eyes and finds her voice.

 

“Waverly, what happened to your family? Your parents…” She starts. Waverly turns towards her and gives her a bittersweet smile.

 

“For now, lets just say you and I have a lot in common on that front.” When she grows silent and looks back at the frame, Nicole realizes she’s not going to get the story today, if ever.

 

“I should head back to the ranch.” Nicole says after a few more seconds of admiring the frame. She knows it will be dark soon and she needs to be back in the barn.

 

“Right. Let’s put this in my apartment and I’ll drive you home.” Waverly says quietly. Nicole moves to pick up the frame, mindful of the fresh stain when Waverly touches her wrist.

 

“One day I’ll tell you about my family. It’s a really long story and one that hurts to tell.” Waverly explains apologetically.

 

“I completely understand.” Nicole says and Waverly sees she means it.

 

 

…

 

 

 

Nicole paces behind the barn naked and shivering. She looks up at the full moon willing her change to commence before she gets hypothermia. Perhaps hypothermia is an exaggeration, but out in the elements in one’s birthday suit with a brisk wind in early spring in the dead of night one does keep alert.

Finally, she feels the tingling, beginning with her spine and ending with her toes and her nose. She feels joints slide and bones shorten and elongate and the electric hum of millions of hair follicles all over her body thickening and pushing out dense, coarse red-gold hair.

 

The most unsettling part however is when her brain shifts and her human memories fade into her cougar ones until all of her focus becomes pure instinct and her world shrinks to the wind, earth and fauna around her.

 

She had been practicing the exercises her grandfather had started with her when full moons approach and prayed they would be at least a little effective as she pads out and over the fence, a small but powerful directive in her animal brain to sniff out anything foreign to the typical animals and familiar humans that frequent this part of McCready’s land.

 

The cougar immediately sets upon a scent that it’s never smelled before. It moves quickly and quietly, even though it is sated from thirst and hunger (Nicole made sure of that). The big cat’s curiosity, along with Nicole’s human form directive has it scenting its prey with practiced efficiency and in no time it is circling an old tree with a weathered hunting perch affixed to it about ten feet off the ground.

 

“Easy.” Comes a voice, gnarled yet calming. The cougar responds with a low growl, but remains on the ground, circling with head tilted towards the figure.

 

“We haven’t met yet, but I know you. Know your kin.” The voice pushes out through rusty vocal cords and then recites something in an ancient language and the cougar suddenly collapses in pain. The change is abrupt and leaves Nicole shaking and vomiting. She lays on the ground, curled up in a ball, confused for a good minute before getting her bearings and standing up to a fading memory of hearing her grandfather’s ancient language.

 

She realizes it is still night and she wonders why she isn’t back at the barn, why she changed so abruptly out here in the middle of the McCready’s field.

 

She jumps as something is dropped down from the tree she’s standing next to.

 

“Put that on. We have much to discuss.” She hears an old man tell her from a hunting perch in the tree. She quickly scrambles into the too large coveralls and takes a defensive stance as the old man ambles down the crude ladder attached to the tree.

 

“The name is Juan Carlos. I knew your grandfather. We have much to talk about.”

 


	8. Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, fixed the font problem. What a damn pain. Should be easier to read now!

Nicole follows the old man as he ambles towards the thick woods, eventually towards a glowing light, which once her eyes fully adjust realizes it is a small campfire. Every instinct in her is telling her to take off towards the McCready barn but at the mention of the man knowing her grandfather, her curiosity keeps her feet moving.

 

He doesn’t say a word until they are both sitting on two large logs opposite each other over the fire. He reaches behind him and pulls out a well-used water skin and stands to pass it to her over the fire. She takes a long drink and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and stands to hand it back. He shakes his head. “No, keep it. You need it.”

 

She sits back down and stares at him over the fire expectantly. When he continues to hold her gaze silently, she speaks.

 

“You knew my grandfather?” She prompts.

 

“We were boys together on the reservation. Then I was adopted out. We lost touch for years but then we’d found each other again right after you were born. He adored you so much.” He says with a fond smile that Nicole returns wistfully. “I was out of town when it happened…” He says after a beat, anguish in his voice.

 

He leaves the rest unsaid, knowing Nicole would know what he’s referring to. She stays silent, waiting on what else he has to say.

 

“He asked me watch over you. It seemed he knew what was coming. But I failed… I got caught up in revenge and…” He says quietly, dropping his head down for a moment. When he doesn’t continue, questions pile up in Nicole’s head and she becomes agitated at the cryptic talk.

 

“What do you mean?” She asks, leaving the question open ended, just looking for some answers.

 

He seems reluctant to give her any and she’s growing impatient. He puts a hand up as she stands abruptly. “Wait.”

 

She sits down, eyes boring into his and he knows he better come clean quick or she’ll be gone again.

 

“I’m like you. Not kin, but our kin share the same trait. Your grandfather told me all about you, what was passed on to you.” He gives her the native language for it and her eyes widen.

 

“You’re another shape-shifter?”

Nicole follows the old man as he ambles towards the thick woods, eventually towards a glowing light, which once her eyes fully adjust realizes it is a small campfire. Every instinct in her is telling her to take off towards the McCready barn but at the mention of the man knowing her grandfather, her curiosity keeps her feet moving.

 

He doesn’t say a word until they are both sitting on two large logs opposite each other over the fire. He reaches behind him and pulls out a well-used water skin and stands to pass it to her over the fire. She takes a long drink and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and stands to hand it back. He shakes his head. “No, keep it. You need it.”

 

She sits back down and stares at him over the fire expectantly. When he continues to hold her gaze silently, she speaks.

 

“You knew my grandfather?” She prompts.

 

“We were boys together on the reservation. Then I was adopted out. We lost touch for years but then we’d found each other again right after you were born. He adored you so much.” He says with a fond smile that Nicole returns wistfully. “I was out of town when it happened…” He says after a beat, anguish in his voice.

 

He leaves the rest unsaid, knowing Nicole would know what he’s referring to. She stays silent, waiting on what else he has to say.

 

“He asked me watch over you. It seemed he knew what was coming. But I failed… I got caught up in revenge and…” He says quietly, dropping his head down for a moment. When he doesn’t continue, questions pile up in Nicole’s head and she becomes agitated at the cryptic talk.

 

“What do you mean?” She asks, leaving the question open ended, just looking for some answers.

 

He seems reluctant to give her any and she’s growing impatient. He puts a hand up as she stands abruptly. “Wait.”

 

She sits down, eyes boring into his and he knows he better come clean quick or she’ll be gone again.

 

“I’m like you. Not kin, but our kin share the same trait. Your grandfather told me all about you, what was passed on to you.” He gives her the native language for it and her eyes widen.

 

“You’re another shape-shifter?”

 

He nods. “I know your grandfather was in the midst of teaching you how to control it. _Self-discipline_.” He says the last word in her native tongue as well.

Hearing her native language sends her back to when she was a pup, and memories of her family. She pushes them back, standing and rubbing at her face.

“I know you’ve had a rough go of it. Those ignorant, fear-bound people took away everything you love and your inability to control your change has made you very alone in this world as well.” He states.

She wills herself not to show any emotion. This stranger is laying bare her whole existence like he’s been following her all this time. Her first instinct is to become angry, but she knows what will happen and she won’t get the answers she desperately hopes he has.

She takes a deep, calming breath and sits back down.

“I feel… like a monster.” She says, slowly, quietly. For so long she’s had to distance herself from society, never knowing when her change would happen. Over the years she’s learned the triggers: Heightened emotional states and full moons. One she had no control over and the other she tried to avoid at all costs. That meant little to no interaction with people. _Until now._

As if reading her mind, he smiles gently. “The McCready’s are good people.”

 _And Waverly…_ She thinks to herself.

“How did you find me, here?” She asks suddenly.

“Well, actually, you found me, so to speak. After I served my time, I went back to find you. Your aunt had said you moved on. I didn’t believe her at first. I knew how your grandmother’s side of the family felt about her marrying a ‘redskin’.” He says with distain.

She remembers all the teasing she endured when she started school, having a half-breed father and looking like she did. She didn’t fit in with the white kids because of her heritage or the Native-American kids because of her pale skin and red hair, a trait passed down from her grandparent’s interracial union.

“I looked for you for a few years, but you never kept to one place long enough. Finally, I settled here on account of its propensity to attract those used to being different, outcasts, if you will.” He says with a shrug.

She sits quietly, letting it all sink in. She recalls the dream she had a couple of months ago where her grandfather and mother all but pointed the way here. She shakes her head in mild disbelief as a wry smile spreads across her lips.

He watches her carefully, standing slowly and then coming over to sit next to her. “I know you feel like your parents left you with a curse. But to be a shape-shifter _and_ a two-spirit? Well, there’s no one else like you in the world. I hope to help you see that it doesn’t mean you are utterly alone. It means you are utterly special. We need someone like you here in this place.”

…

“It’s almost time.” The woman smiles as she taps her finger on the hour glass.

“How do you know she’ll return?” The young, skinny pale man asks with a petulant bite.

“Because we are going to kill someone she loves.” The woman says simply.

…

Nicole returns to the barn with just enough time to get dressed and grab some breakfast before having to meet Curtis to go into town for supplies. She’s exhausted, but exhilarated. Exhilarated at the prospect of finally learning how to fully control her change. It had started of course with Juan Carlos explaining the phrase he used on Nicole last night to pull her out of her cougar form. He likened it to some sort of emergency incantation that will be the start of learning the steps to harness the power of her abilities.

He was less helpful on the two-spirit part as he had not had any experience in that department. He knew the closest non-Native American classification for her was ‘alpha’ based on her lineage and the scent she gave off to others, but she’d shyly let him know that she had some distinct differences down _there_ as well. He promptly said he’d see if there was anyone else she could turn to for that particular need.

But that part could wait. She now had some hope. Hope at maybe a semi-normal life. She tried not to think about the implications this had on her friendship with Waverly because that was all they were at this point.

…

 

“Were you out all night?” Curtis asks Nicole as she quickly snagged some bacon that Gus had just put down on the table.

She wasn’t sure if the circles under her eyes gave her away until he continued talking. “Cuz I came out when I heard a noise around four o’clock and your bed hadn’t been touched.”

“I was out checking the perimeter. Decided just to camp out.” She answers easily. He eyes her for another long moment then shrugs.

“Well, I hope you feel strong today. Gus ordered a giant stone fountain for her front garden and it came in yesterday.”

Nicole makes a show of flexing her bicep making Gus chuckle from behind her. “Your gonna need more than a couple of pieces of bacon.” She says with a grin.

…

Waverly is busy pulling out a pan of lasagna when Champ lets himself into her apartment. “That smells amazing, but it’s only ten in the morning.” He says. “You gonna pack my lunch?” He grabs her from behind almost making her drop the pan.

“Champ!” She says, barely getting it onto the top of the stove before it falls. She steps out of his grasp, eyes wide and incredulous. “You almost made me drop it!”

“Babe, I’d still eat it off the ground!” He announces as he goes back in to grab her around the waist.

“Well, it isn’t for you!” She says, again pushing him away. She sees his demeanor go from confused to angry.

“Who’s it for then?” He asks, but his tone lets her know he knows exactly whom it’s for.

“She helped me with Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis’ anniversary present. I’m paying her back.” She says, turning back around to settle it to the back of the stove to cool. Nicole has been a topic of conversation between the two every time Waverly becomes distant or rebuff’s Champ’s advances.

“You never do shit like that when I help you out.” He says indignantly. It is the last straw and really, way late in coming. She knows she should have cut him loose months, no, years ago if she’s honest.

“Because you never help me out unless there’s something in it for you, and even then your lazy ass can’t find the time or inclination!” She shouts.

His eyes widen and he takes a step back as she comes towards him, finger pointed at his chest.

“We are done, Champ Hardy! I deserve better!” She says, shocking herself with her own words. But she knows it’s the truth and it is absolutely liberating. Suddenly, all the fear she harbored at becoming untethered to the only thing she thought she had, a steady presence in a boyfriend, disappeares. In it’s wake, a newfound hunger for autonomy and yes, something _better._

“What?”

His voice is small and pathetic, but it lacks disbelief. He knows she means it. This time she _means_ it.

He becomes small, hunched over as he moves towards her, desperate. “Waverly, no. Please…I love you.”

“You don’t know the meaning of the word. GET OUT!” She near shrieks so loud she hears someone clumping up the stairs to come to her aid.

Champ’s face turns to stone at her last words and for a second she becomes fearful. He starts to say something but is cut off by Shorty bursting through the half a jar door.

“You okay, Waverly?” He asks, eyes darting from the red-faced agitated woman to Champ’s unreadable expression.

“I’m fine.” She says and looks pointedly at Champ, her second of fear gone with the appearance of Shorty. “Champ’s on his way out.”

Shorty gives a curt nod, reading the situation quickly and for that Waverly is eternally grateful.

“Come on Champ. Let’s go.” He says with finality. Champ looks at her one last time and a shiver runs up her spine as she looks him in the eye right before he turns to leave. She doesn’t see sadness or pain in them. Champ has made her feel a lot of things over their years together but never fear, not until now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	9. I Got You, Waves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Font problem solved. All should be readable now. Also, if you've read my other stories, you know I'm not always kind to my characters... I put them through the shit. Note the warning addition...
> 
> Now, for a cliffhanger....

“What’s gotten into you?” Gus asks with an amused grin as she comes around the side of the barn to see Nicole humming and smiling while she pulls apart bails of hay for the stalls.

Nicole stops her humming and her small smile slides off her face as she leans on her pitchfork and stares at Gus quizzically.

“I’ve never seen you look so… happy.” Gus says, using the word hesitantly. She doesn’t want to offend the usually stoic woman.

Nicole looks down, a bit embarrassed. Since meeting with Juan Carlos, her outlook has become considerably brighter. She hasn’t felt this full of hope since before her family was taken from her.

“I’m just thinking about all I have to be thankful for. You and Curtis giving me a job, I have a roof over my head, food to eat…” Nicole says, gesturing around. It is the truth, but she’s not quite ready to tell Gus the entire truth.

“And friends, like Waverly.” Gus says with a smirk. She adds her niece purely to get a reaction from the alpha. She’s seen the sparks fly between them. And now with Champ out of the picture… She hopes it’s only a matter of time. She has to bite her tongue not to tell Nicole the news, knowing it isn’t her place to say anything.

“Yes, and Waverly.” Nicole says and Gus’ grin grows wider as she sees a blush color Nicole’s neck.

Both hear a familiar engine and turn their heads to see the red Jeep coming up the dirt drive.

“Speak of the devil.” Gus says and turns to leave, knowing Nicole will be following her in a few minutes.

 

After hurrying through the rest of her chores, Nicole takes a moment to make sure her hair is mostly in order after being under a hat most of the morning. She takes the porch steps two at a time and opens the door, her nose pleasantly assaulted with an amazing smell.

“Waverly made her famous lasagna for lunch.” Gus says from the kitchen. Nicole smiles and makes her way towards the kitchen, only be stopped by Waverly who is coming down the stairs.

“I wanted to thank you for helping me with you know what.” She says, speaking in a near whisper, looking level into Nicole’s eyes since she is still on the bottom stair and giving her a big smile.

“It was no problem.” Nicole says warmly. She senses a subtle change in Waverly and wonders what brought it about. Her smile fully reaches her eyes and she seems… lighter.

“Well, the pan of lasagna is yours. Gus will keep it for you in the fridge, since you are still staying in the barn, but whenever you want some…” She realizes she’s rambling, but can’t tear her eyes away from the large, warm brown ones staring into hers.

“That’s kind of you Waverly. Thanks.” Nicole says with a dimpled grin that makes Waverly swoon.

“It’s also a bribe.” Waverly adds with a shy smile. Nicole raises an eyebrow in an adorably skeptical way and Waverly almost forgets what she was going to ask. “I was wondering if you could help us at Shorty’s tomorrow. To decorate for Gus and Curtis’ party. We could use your height.” Waverly says ducking her head, looking at Nicole through her eyelashes.

“I’d be happy to help.” Nicole smiles.

“Great.” Waverly says brightly.

They stand there, closer together than they’ve ever been and neither seems motivated to move. Finally Gus calls them to the table and Nicole steps aside, leaving Waverly just enough space to finish descending the stairs.

“After you.” Nicole grins, gesturing for Waverly to go first. Waverly steps past her, feeling those warm, brown eyes on her the whole time.

…

“Nicole, can you put this streamer up… there.” Waverly directs and Nicole is at her side, taking the end of the streamer and reaching high above Waverly’s head. Waverly stands her ground and is so close to Nicole as she passes the tape to her, she can smell her scent under the clean, subtle cologne she wears. Waverly just stops short of burying her nose into the alpha’s neck, her smell is so intoxicating.

“All done.” Nicole says, finally looking down to see that Waverly is still very close to her. “What next?” She gets out just above a whisper.

“Oh, uh.. Are you technologically savvy? Rosita won’t be here until later and well, Shorty and I are…” She lets her sentence trail off when Nicole reaches up and brushes something off of Waverly’s cheek.

“Piece of glitter.” Nicole explains shyly.

“Oh. Thanks.” Waverly stumbles and she can feel herself blush. She mentally calculates the days, knowing her heat isn’t for quite a while. She silently marvels at her body’s reaction to the alpha, but is still too afraid to act for the strength of it scares her _._

“To answer your question, I’m pretty good at figuring stuff out. What do you need help with?” She asks, stepping away a bit.

“Video projector. I thought it would be cute to gather some old pictures and show them by the dance floor over there.” Waverly says as she walks over to the equipment, pointing to a mobile screen.

Nicole gets to work setting it up and as she opens the laptop and Waverly opens the program with all of the pictures, Nicole begins clicking on them and looking at them. There’s a couple of her when she was young with Gus and Curtis and then she comes upon one with Waverly, not more than five years old, two girls that look like they could be her sisters and a man and woman who must be her parents in a candid shot that looks like it might have been from Curtis’ birthday party.

“Is this your family?” Nicole asks gently, turning to look at Waverly with those soft, brown understanding eyes.

“Oh, yeah. I’m still on the fence about including it.” Waverly says, staring at the photo. She can feel Nicole’s eyes on her still and takes a deep breath.

“I can finish setting this all up and you can come back to it. I’ll help you put the photos together later if you want.” Nicole says, her voice gentle.

“Okay.” Her voice is small, trying to hold in the emotions seeing them all in one picture always elicits.

They are brought out of the solemn moment when Rosita blasts into the front door, eyes searching.

“There you are!” She says loudly and Nicole backs up, wondering what is going on. She pulls Waverly into a hug and then holds her out at arm’s length.

“About time you kicked that ass to the curb! I’m so proud of you!” She announces and pulls her into another tight hug. Nicole looks on, the dark woman’s words finally registering.

“Well, it was a long time in coming.” Waverly says modestly. She hazards a quick look at Nicole, whose face stays neutral.

“I broke up with Champ.” Waverly explains, wanting Nicole to be clear on that.

“Oh.” Nicole says, not sure what other reaction would be appropriate right now. Internally, of course, she was elated.

“Anyway, looks like I missed all the hard part. Where do you want me and what should I be doing?” Rosita asks brightly while looking around at the party decor, oblivious to Waverly and Nicole’s interaction.

Waverly turns to Rosita and claps her hands once. “Do what you do best, ply everyone with alcohol as soon as they get here!” Waverly says enthusiastically and Rosita gives a salute and heads to the bar to get everything prepped.

 

Once the decorating was done, Waverly made her way to the laptop to go over the pictures once more. Even engaged in conversation across the room, Nicole spots the brunette and excuses herself from Shorty, making a beeline over to where Waverly was opening the photos up.

Waverly, who was cognizant of Nicole’s actions, reassures her she can work the program and that she can continue conversing with Shorty. It warmed her heart to see Nicole becoming friendly with people she cares about too.

“Oh, well, I thought…” Nicole starts, a little hesitant. “If you want me to go, I will…” Waverly catches on and realizes Nicole must have come over for moral support as well, knowing she would be going through her family photos. She turns to the program, her heart swelling a bit at the gesture, a decision made.

She clicks on the one that had come up earlier. “My mom left when I was only four. Couldn’t stand my dad I guess and decided she didn’t want to be a mom anymore either.” She decides to press on, not looking at Nicole until she’d told her about the rest.

“A few years later, someone broke into the house, kidnapped Willa (she points to the oldest sister) and killed our father. Authorities thought it was Wynonna and her boyfriend because my father forbade her to see him and Willa told on them. They were both cleared of any wrong doing eventually, but the damage was done. Wynonna was essentially run out of town. She was only 14. We never found Willa either.” Waverly gets out the last sentence in a choked sob and Nicole, who had been listening intently with an increasingly aching heart, wraps her arm around her and ushers her into quiet corner of the bar.

“I’ve got you, Waves.” She says, holding her gently as the omega gets herself together.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to tell you, I think the picture just brought it back more vividly.” Waverly sniffles. Somehow Nicole produces a bar napkin and Waverly takes it with a weak smile of thanks and wipes her eyes and nose.

“I’m glad you did. That’s an enormous amount of pain to carry around. I’m sorry that happened to you… your family.” Nicole whispers emotionally. She tilts Waverly’s chin up and helps to wipe the tears off her cheeks.

“Well, I could have picked a better time than...” She takes Nicole’s hand, rotating her wrist and checks her watch, “an hour before my aunt and uncle’s anniversary party.” She chuckles ruefully.

“How about you clean yourself up in the bathroom and I’ll just pull out the pictures of Curtis and Gus for you. Make it easy.” Nicole suggests, hoping she’s not overstepping. It hurts her to see Waverly in so much pain. She wonders too if they ever found out who did it, but didn’t want to ask at this time.

“Okay. That will work.” Waverly says after a moment of deliberation. She gives her a watery smile and pulls out of Nicole’s arms slowly.

“I’ll be out in a minute.” She says, suddenly becoming embarrassed at her emotional outburst. Nicole nods and gives her an understanding smile.

 

During the course of the hour before the party, Waverly is back to herself, giving last minute directions before the guests of honor arrive. She’d gone upstairs to change and when Nicole sees her for the first time, she cannot take her eyes off the brunette in a form fitting champagne dress, her hair up in a tight bun, showing off her beautiful face and elegant neck.

“You are a vision.” Nicole mumbles, not realizing that Rosita was standing directly behind her. She smiles wide and takes her place behind the bar, giddy at the prospect of sharing this particular piece of gossip with certain people.

 

The party is in full swing and Nicole sits at one of the tables near the wall, taking it all in. She isn’t used to seeing this many people let alone interacting with them and she’s a bit overwhelmed. She’s enjoying herself watching Curtis and Gus being celebrated by so many people who obviously love them (as well as how effortlessly Waverly works the room, being the wonderful hostess), but she still feels the urge to step outside and take a bit of a break from all the festivities.

She decides to try and quietly head out and makes her way to the front door only to be nearly run over by a very drunk Champ who stumbles in just as she was about to reach for the door handle.

“Happy anniv-versarry, Aunt Gus, Uncle Curtis!” He bellows, arms wide. The bar simmers to a silence as he wobbles to the bar, gripping it as if he’s on a capsizing boat and begins calling for Waverly.

“You know, I’ve known the McCready’s all my life! And just because Waverly would rather fuck a female alpha than a REAL one, I don’t get an invite to the party!” He announces, causing gasps from everyone, including Waverly who was en route to pull him away to chastise him privately.

Nicole’s eyes widen at his words, but what really gets her feet moving towards him are the very non-intoxicated, intentional steps he’s now taking towards an angry Waverly. She tries to channel her emotions into action like Juan Carlos has been teaching her, praying to stave off her change.

Nicole reaches him first and spins him around. “I think you’ve had too much to drink, Champ.” She says evenly, trying to pull him towards the door. He turns on her ready to swing when Waverly gets to him finally, slapping him hard across the face.

“You are not welcomed here. You are just embarrassing yourself, now leave.” She says low and menacing as he recovers from the slap.

“Fuck you, you wannabe omega whore.” He growls and before his mouth can finish falling into a sneer, Nicole kicks the back of his knees so he crumples to the ground.

“Call Nedley.” Waverly says to Rosita. That seems to sober Champ right up and before Nicole can secure him, he pushes off the ground and scampers out of the bar.

Everyone remains silent and Gus and Curtis run to Waverly’s side. “Are you alright, honey?” Gus asks, wrapping an arm around her. Nicole looks around, wondering why no one is going after the asshole.

“Let him sleep it off. We’ll talk to Nedley after the party.” Waverly says obviously shaken and embarrassed by her ex’s words and behavior. Nicole starts to walk towards her but she turns around abruptly, addressing the partygoers.

“Alright, who wants to see pictures of Gus feeding Curtis while he’s in his full body cast!” Waverly announces with a wide smile, pointing to the projector. After a beat, everyone plays along, starting to move towards the dance floor.

Nicole tries to get Waverly’s attention to make sure she’s alright, but she ushers off with Gus and Curtis, heading over to the projector.

 

The rest of the party goes off without a hitch and everyone thanks Waverly for such a wonderful, thoughtful celebration and give her whispered words of encouragement and support regarding the Champ incident.

Nicole’s been trying to get Waverly alone to check on her, but the brunette hasn’t stopped moving around, making sure everyone had cake, was enjoying themselves, shared a story about Gus and Curtis.

Finally though, it’s now just Waverly, Nicole (who insisted on staying to clean despite Waverly’s protests saying she’d done enough), Rosita, Gus, Curtis and Sheriff Nedley who had stopped by to give his regards to the McCready’s and to hear what had happened with Champ.

Nicole, who was always wary of law enforcement, gave her account last, her eyes following Waverly as she goes to the back alley door to take out a bag of trash.

“I take it _you_ are the female alpha?” Nedley asks for clarification after Rosita had pretty much repeated verbatim all that Champ had said. She was so disgusted with him, she didn’t want to leave out any detail that would incriminate him.

Nicole bristles at the blunt question but nods. Not because of any action on Waverly’s part, she knows that Champ had pegged her for a threat since they laid eyes on each other.

“You staying out at the McCready’s right?” He asks and again Nicole nods. “Let me know if he comes around, okay?”

He sounds more like a concerned grandfather at the question and Nicole relaxes. “I will, Sheriff.”

He goes off to ask some follow up questions and Nicole notices Waverly is not back yet.

…

Waverly knows she needs to talk to Nicole about what Champ said, but she doesn’t have the words yet, and truth be told, she’s still really embarrassed at what he called her, in front of everyone. Along with having to relive her family’s history and trying to figure out her reaction to and feelings for Nicole, a drifter she know literally nothing about, she just needs a bit of time to collect her thoughts.

She sees Nicole talking to Nedley and before her feet take her over there to get _her_ account of what happened, she grabs a bag of trash to take out so she can have a moment to herself.

She is just throwing the bag into the bin when rough hands grab her, covering her mouth and grabbing her by the waist, dragging her off to the other side of the dumpster.


	10. I Thought Those Were a Myth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dude, Outlasting Fear... Your comment was longer than some of my chapters! I laughed. Glad you finally caved. Looking forward to your rambling dissertations. ;)
> 
> Don't get too used to daily updates. Been down for the count sick so I had some time. Should be once a week though when I'm back on my feet and slaving away. Thanks for commenting. They are amusing and helpful at times!

Waverly instantly knows who has her and for a moment she calms, knowing it isn’t a complete stranger. Her calm is short lived when Champ swings her around shoving her front into the brick wall.

“I’m gonna fuckin’ mark you, knot you and make you mine, like I shoulda a long time ago.” He growls into her neck. She can smell the stink of alcohol, but his actions are sharp, cruel and deliberate as he hikes up her dress from behind.

Her eyes grow wide and she’s instantly filled with terror. She opens her mouth to scream but he shoves something into it and holds it in as he tries to work his pants down one handed.

She tries to slide out of his grasp but he’s got all his weight against her upper back, making it impossible for her to move or turn. Her right hand is painfully sandwiched between her breasts and the rough brick. She works to free it as he pants into her neck, trying to free his cock.

There’s a slash of light and then she hears Nicole’s voice calling for her. She manages to get out a muffled shout through the cloth in her mouth and suddenly the oppressive weight against her is off and she stumbles back at the sudden shift of equilibrium, her naked bum landing on the dirty concrete ground.

She scrambles up, desperately pulling her dress back down and yanking the cloth, shoved so far in her mouth it almost made her gag, out of her mouth.

She stands still watching as Champ swings and connects with Nicole’s jaw. The alpha stumbles back and doesn’t immediately charge him. She falls to a knee and screams, “NO!” as she paws at her neck but then gets back up right before Champ tries to hit her again and charges at his middle.

She wraps her arms around his waist, driving him into the side of the dumpster and he brings both of his fists down on her back. It knocks her down completely and she writhes onto her back and that’s when Waverly sees it. Eyes going from soft big and brown to narrow and yellow.

Champ staggers back in shock as Nicole’s back begins to elongate.

A sharp, loud moan turns into a cat’s hissing mewl and both Champ and Waverly are struck dumb at what they are witnessing. They don’t even notice Nedley busting through the back door at the commotion. He stops too and watches, frozen to the spot as a grossly misshapen Nicole hiss-whispers, “Arresstt himmm.” Before scampering off into the night.

…

 

Waverly rides home in silence an hour later. She stares down at her lap, picking at the bandage on her right hand. She doesn’t even remember it getting treated. She picks her head up and looks out the window, searching. Searching for… she doesn’t even know.

“So, if not a werewolf… Shape-shifter? I thought _those_ were a myth.” Gus shakes her head in disbelief. Everyone ran to the back door after they heard Nicole’s anguished scream, but had been behind Nedley and hadn’t seen exactly what had transpired with Nicole.

Waverly continued to sit, either not hearing or just not responding to Gus’ seemingly rhetorical musings.

“You think she turned into a.. cat, right?” She continues, keeping her eye on the road in the moonless night.

“Not just a cat… a big cat.. like a mountain lion or something…” Waverly says, finally swinging her eyes to her aunt. “She was in the middle of taking on Champ and ‘bam’, her eyes turned all yellow and her back lengthened…” She says woodenly, still not able to wrap her head around what she saw with her own eyes.

She knew of werewolves, heck she’d even met a couple of them (in human form only), but to actually see someone change? Someone she had been very interested in getting to know? Perhaps dating? Her world is shaken.

“Well, now I know why she insisted on sleeping in the barn.” Gus says with a rueful chuckle and Waverly just turns and stares at her.

“How can you be so… calm… about this?” Waverly asks incredulously.

“Cuz I’ve been here in Purgatory all my life. Seen what most people only read about in horror stories and twisted fairy tales. What I do know is that Nicole is one of the sweetest, most kind-hearted, giving people I know outside of present company.” She gives her niece a meaningful look and warm smile. “So she turns into a big cat when she’s in a fight with a would-be rapist? He’s probably lucky she didn’t shred his nutsack.”

At that, Waverly does laugh, eyes wide and disbelieving. “Aunt Gus!”

…

The cougar pants heavily as it picks up the scent of the man in the woods. When her eyes spot the flame she slows, straightening up and moving slowly. It goes against her instinct to approach fire, or humans, but her paws continue on until she can make out the silhouette of the man. She sits and waits expectantly until a chunk of half-cooked rabbit is tossed at her feet. She lowers her head and scoops it up with her sharp teeth, swallowing it whole.

“Come back, Red One.” He says in the shape-shifter’s native tongue. The cougar cries out and lays down, changing back into her human form. She notes that it takes her less time to acclimate to her human form and stands and rubs her jaw as her human memories come back to her. She looks up to see Juan Carlos, his back to her, tossing her a blanket.

“You’ve done well to come to me. Tell me what happened.” He says, sensing the woman’s agitation and worry.

“I caught someone trying to rape my friend and I tore him off of her and started to change almost immediately.” She says, tightening the blanket around herself. “I need to get back to town to make sure she’s okay.” She says, heading to the man’s old truck.

He shakes his head and heads over too, fishing around the back of his truck bed for a pair of coveralls. “Guess I better keep clothes for you on hand.” He mutters. She grabs them not even giving him a chance to turn and preserve her modesty as she drops the blanket and pulls them on.

“Can you please give me a ride into town. Shorty’s.” She says as she climbs into the passenger side.

“Hold on, Nicole. Did people see you change?” He asks carefully.

She’s about to tell him to get a move on when his question sinks in. Waverly and Champ saw her. And she thinks maybe Sheriff Nedley too. Her eyes close slowly at the realization.

“Fuck.” She mumbles. “Still, I need to make sure Waverly’s okay.” She says as she gestures for him to start the car. _Even if she never wants to see me again._

 

…

 

It’s been three days since the incident and Curtis is wondering if he’s ever going to see the red-head again. Perhaps because he didn’t see her change with his own eyes, his trepidation about the female alpha’s ability had much less of an impact on his desire to make sure she was okay. Gus felt the same way. They even set out some fresh rabbit as well as some of Gus’ fresh canned fruit outside the barn and waited, hoping she’d find her way home, human or cat shaped.

 

Waverly had also had some time to process everything and her fear and confusion about what she saw Nicole do began to give way to worry for the tall woman’s well-being. She wondered if she had shifted back and had just decided to not come back.

But she had no idea how to reach her or if she even could. She decides to pay Sheriff Nedley a visit to see if he could help.

“Waverly, you doing okay?” Officer Smith asks as they cross paths on the way to the station. He’d been horrified at Champ’s actions and had made sure to put Champ in the holding cell with two of the Hell’s Angels bikers who’ve been known to frequent Shorty’s and knew Waverly.

“I’m holding up. Came in to ask Sheriff Nedley something.” She says with a small smile.

“Well, rest assure, Champ isn’t being released until his hearing. Half the town managed to convince the DA he’s a flight risk.” He snickers. Everyone knows Champ has been out of Purgatory exactly twice and it was only to the next city.

“Thanks for the information.” She responds as he holds the door open for her.

She reaches Nedley’s office and smiles when he waves her in. She gently shuts the door as he inquires about how she is doing and she lets him know she’s doing better.

“I was wondering if you’ve had any.. information.. on Nicole.” She asks slowly.

“She hasn’t turned back up yet?” He asks, not really surprised at the question. Not everyone was comfortable having people see them change. In his thirty plus years as Sheriff he’s seen a lot of different reactions, some of them not so good.

“I think she’s probably scared to.” She says, not wanting to think of the alternative, that she can’t or that she’s long gone.

“Well, I can tell you that right after your aunt took you to get your hand looked at, old Juan Carlo, you know the tow-truck driver? He came over to inquire about you and asked if Champ had been arrested. You might start with him.” Nedley says knowingly as he sits back in his seat and takes a long sip of his coffee.

Waverly nods, encouraged at Nedley's words.  Juan Carlo is known around Purgatory as a bit of a sage. A 'most of the time drunk' sage, but people did go to him for things no one else could help with.  Chances are Nicole had found him if he came to inquire about Champ being arrested.  The sound of Nicole's human/cat cry to arrest Champ right before she took off is a sight and sound she won't soon forget. At the very least she'd like to find her to thank her for saving her from being assaulted by Champ.


	11. Abilities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed a continuity problem at end. Enjoy!

It was harder to track down Juan Carlo than Waverly thought it would be. Everyone knew his truck and could always count on him to show up when needed, but no one knew exactly where he could be found. After asking around for a couple of hours, she finally got an answer from one of the old timers that frequents Shorty’s. Without delay, she hopped into her Jeep and headed for the edge of town, hoping she’d find Nicole there.

 

Juan Carlo’s tow-truck shop is little more than a ramshackle building that used to be a gas station. It had been closed since Waverly could remember. When she pulls up, there is no tow-truck in front, so she gets out and tries the only the door she can see on the front of the building. When that proves to be locked, she peers into the one window that isn’t boarded up or covered with a garish, dirty brown curtain. She sees a chipped, gray industrial metal desk, an old rotary phone and a yellow legal pad. She looks into the opposite corner, bracketing her face to cut out the sunlight so she can see into the darkened space and sees what looks like a sleeping bag, rolled out and looking recently slept in.

Suddenly, she feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand and then a fraction of a second later hears hesitant footsteps crunching the tiny rock and dirt path behind her.

“Waverly?” She hears and turns to see the red-head in a pair of too-big coveralls with smudges of grease on her face.

Waverly is flooded with two emotions simultaneously: relief and fear. Nicole picks up on the latter as she searches Waverly’s face. She steps back reflexively.

“What are you doing out here?” She asks, confusion evident. She had been helping Juan Carlo out on a busted car he’d salvaged while trying to decide how to approach the McCready’s to thank them for their kindness and collect her things so she could move on.

The question and seconds it takes Waverly to formulate an answer allows her heart to settle her conflicting emotions. She settles on relief and takes a step towards Nicole.

“I could ask you the same. Are you okay?” She asks, concern flooding her eyes as she remembers Nicole coming to her aid and getting some pretty hard blows from Champ. Despite what she saw that night, something that will be burned into her memory forever, she knows that if Nicole hadn’t come looking for her, she’d have been raped and marked for sure by her ex-boyfriend.

“I… uh… Juan Carlo, he’s been a…” Nicole tries to find the right words as Waverly steps ever closer, seeing the purple bruise now under the grease on Nicole’s jaw. Swallowing down the tiny sliver of remaining fear, she slowly reaches up and brushes her fingers against her jaw, gently. Nicole leans her head down into the touch until she can feel Waverly’s warm palm slide over her face. She takes a deep breath and pulls her eyes up to meet Waverly’s warm, attentive ones. “Juan Carlo, he’s like me. A shape-shifter. _I_ am a shape-shifter.” She finally gets out, eyes fixed on Waverly’s for her reaction.

“Yes, I kinda gathered that.” Waverly says with a little smirk. She runs her thumb across the grease smudge, not wanting to wipe too hard so she doesn’t hurt Nicole’s bruise. “You also sent Juan Carlo to check on me.” Waverly says, her smirk turning into a grateful smile. “I was afraid you left town when you didn’t return.” She admits and casts her eyes down.

“I wasn’t sure I’d be welcomed back. You and Sheriff Nedley and that dickface saw me change.” Nicole replies as if that is reason enough to leave.

“Nicole. This town is filled with people like you, like me.” Waverly says slowly.

“Well, not _filled_ with people like me.” Nicole corrects and then catches what Waverly says after. “You? Do you have _abilities_?” Nicole asks, now completely intrigued.

“Well, I cannot shape-shift, but yes I have an ability.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out slow. There’s only a handful of people that know this about her. “I can absorb other people’s pain.” Waverly tells her tentatively.

“Really?” Nicole asks in wonder. When she was trying to research her abilities on her own, she’d run across something like that, it seemed more a burden than anything, she remembered thinking. _Just like mine_.

“Yes.” She answers and she gets a rather unreadable look in her eyes for a moment and then it’s gone. “I’ve had to learn how to use it wisely, effectively. When I first learned I could do it… Well, let’s just say there were several things I needed to learn about it.” She says with sad smile.

“That’s what I’ve been doing with Juan Carlo. Learning how to control it. As you saw from the other night, I’m not that far along in my lessons.” Nicole admits with a self-deprecating smile.

“You were able get him off me and tell Nedley to arrest Champ. Not that I wouldn’t have told the Sheriff exactly what that asshole tried to do.” Waverly says with a roll of her eyes at the pure anger she felt on top of the fear and confusion of the events of that night.

Nicole nods thinking that she did hold the change off a few seconds longer to be able recognize and still speak to Sheriff Nedley.

“Aunt Gus said you should have shredded his nutsack though.” Waverly informs her with a lopsided grin, causing Nicole to bark out in laughter.

“If I’d come out to find you any later, I don’t think that’s the only thing I would have shredded.” Nicole admits earnestly and Waverly gets lost momentarily in those infinitely warm, big brown eyes.

“My aunt and uncle want you to come back. They are worried about you as well. Curtis says he really, really doesn’t want to try and find another ranch hand either.” She teases softly.

“They really do?” Nicole asks and the sincerity of the question breaks Waverly’s heart.

“They’ve grown very fond of you, Nicole Haught. So have I. We want you to stick around. Besides, sounds like you have some classes with Juan Carlo to finish.” She smiles, poking her tongue out of the side of her mouth in jest.

Nicole shrugs, knowing that is certainly true. She gestures to the inside of the building. “I have a few things to gather in there. You think I could get a ride?” She asks with a dimpled grin.

“Absolutely. On one condition.” Waverly says.

“What’s that?”

“I get to ask you like a million questions about your shape-shifting on the way in.” She smiles brightly.

“I’m an open book now.” Nicole answers with a smile. She nearly skips to the back of the old gas station to collect her things and leave a not for Juan Carlo, feeling lighter than she has ever felt in her life.

 

By the time they pull up to the McCready’s, Waverly knows as much as Nicole does about her shape-shifting. She knew Waverly was smart and inquisitive, but she was not prepared for the amount of questions she asked. Many she still didn’t have the answers to.

 _“We’ll find them out together… if you want.”_ Waverly had proposed quietly. It made Nicole’s heart expand almost painfully.

 _“Okay.”_ She’d responded with a small smile.

“You sure they are okay with me coming back?” Nicole asks as she sits with her hand on the door handle, but makes no move to open it.

“I’m sure, Nicole. They’ll have questions, like me, but they want you back.” Waverly insists as she climbs out of the Jeep and comes around the back to get Nicole’s stuff.

Nicole joins her a moment later. “I’m not sure I can withstand anymore questions right now.” She says and Waverly looks up at her to see a cheeky grin.

“I told you I had a million questions. I wasn’t exaggerating.” Waverly says in all seriousness. Her face breaks into a smile though and she grabs the small bag that Nicole had with her and hands it over. “I’m sure Gus and Curtis will settle for a Reader’s Digest version though.”

…

Waverly was right. The McCready’s did want her to come back and after sitting down to a lunch of leftovers from their anniversary party, Nicole patiently answers a few questions after explaining her arrangement with Juan Carlo.

Even though she’d answered a lot of the same ones for Waverly already, she’s happy to do it again as Waverly sits by, interjecting details she’d gotten out of Nicole on the ride over.

“I change when I’m feeling emotionally out of control. Deathly frightened, angered, threatened…” She leaves aroused out of her answer, though. That is something she’d rather not have to get into. She’d sheepishly admitted it to Waverly however, but that was one area that Waverly didn’t expand her questioning on. Nicole was grateful for that, for sure.

“Do you… when you change do you recognize people you know?” Curtis asks.

“I wouldn’t go as far to say recognize… It’s hard to explain. Juan Carlo thinks people’s scents carry over into my cougar brain. I will recognize them as a threat or non-threat, familiar or unfamiliar, simply put.” She answers with a shrug.

She sees the question lingering on Gus’ tongue and addresses her. “I’ve never attacked someone I don’t perceive a threat in my animal form.” She says hesitantly. She thinks back to the time she was on the road and had been approached by two men, looking to rob her and who else knows what. The last thing she remembers is one brandishing a knife and the other trying to grab her. She’d come to in human form with their mutilated bodies not more than five feet from her.

“Is there any precautions we should take? For you, or us?” Curtis asks, looking at her carefully, making sure she knows it is pragmatism, not fear, motivating the question.

She thinks on that for a moment. Since she’s been here, she’s only changed a few times and that was during a full moon or her own volition, such as it is before and after Juan Carlo’s teachings. The Champ incident was the first time she’d changed due to emotional distress in a long while (if you don’t count her first encounter with Waverly putting her into near rut and sending her out into the hills for a night) and even then she’d found her way to Juan Carlo as if she were a lost pet.

She’s fairly confident these people in front of her are safe, but she can’t guarantee it one hundred percent. “If you’d feel more comfortable locking me up…” She adds, but all three shake their heads vehemently.

“We couldn’t.” Gus says with fierce conviction. “I think we’ll be fine. On full moons we’ll just keep indoors is all. Give you the grounds.” Gus says with a genuine smile.

“Okay, I think that’s enough questions for Nicole.” Curtis announces as he rises from his seat. “You look like you could use some rest.” He says, his kind eyes settling on the other two women for confirmation.

“Nicole, are you sure you don’t want a room in the house? We have the one in the back, it has it’s own entrance to the outside.” Gus says as Curtis nods.

“You’ve just learned that I shift into a cougar on occasion and you offer me a room?” Nicole asks with a mixture of awe and incredulity.

“Well, like you said, you’ve never attacked someone you know who isn’t a threat, you’re learning from Juan Carlo how to control your change, and it is heading into the rainy season and too damp and musty to sleep in.” Curtis expands. It is the last fact that has Nicole most tempted to take them up on their offer.

“Alright, but I’ll keep the interior door locked from the outside on full moons.” Nicole supposes and the older couple nod happily in agreement, happy to have the woman under their roof where she’ll be warm and safe.

“I guess I’ll go get my things.” Nicole says with a small smile and turns to look at Waverly who is already getting up to follow her.

They walk out to the barn in silence and Waverly waits over to the side while Nicole stuffs her duffle bag with her all of her worldly items. She picks up her flannel she sleeps in and it triggers Waverly’s sexual dream she’d had a couple of weeks ago. She suddenly feels her face go flush and heart start pounding.

Nicole’s nose picks up Waverly’s increasingly strong scent and turns around to look at her.

“Are you okay?” Nicole asks, placing that particular scent to the one she smelled at the bar the first night they met.

“Yes, I’m… gonna.. I have to ask Gus something.” She says in a rush and out the door she goes, leaving a very confused Nicole looking after her.


	12. I Promise

Nicole wakes up and for a second is confused by her surroundings. She looks around and quickly remembers she’s in the back, downstairs bedroom of Gus and Curtis’ house. She sinks back for a few more minutes and smiles. It’s been a long time since she’s slept in a nice bed in a house.

She looks at her watch and notes it is a few minutes later than she usually wakes up. She hops out of bed and grabs her clothes for the day, heading off to the bathroom across the hall.

After she’s done getting ready, she grabs her boots and makes her way down the hall, planning to grab something to eat and then put her boots and coat on outside. She’s a few steps down the hall when she hears Curtis and Gus’ hushed voices. They aren’t fighting, but there’s passion in their tones and Nicole holds off for a few seconds. She hears the words ‘Waverly’ and ‘homestead’ and then they move into another room so Nicole thinks it’s okay to come out. By the time she makes her way to the kitchen, Gus is pouring herself some coffee as Curtis slips out the back kitchen door.

“Morning.” Nicole announces, knowing Gus hasn’t seen her as her back is to her.

“Nicole! You are always so quiet.” Gus says with a soft chuckle.

Nicole holds up her boots and smirks. “Like a cat?”

Gus shakes her head slowly as a crooked smile graces her face. “Aren’t you funny.”

“Curtis outside?” She asks, not wanting Gus to catch on that she’d heard them ‘discussing’ something earlier.

“Yep. He’s got a remote job for you guys today.” She says cryptically as her smile falters a bit.

“Oh. Well, I better go let him know I’m up and about.” Nicole says with a nod. She’s stopped by Gus calling her name out as if she’s chastising a child.

“You need something to eat.” She says, and the grin is back as she hands Nicole a buttered bagel she was about to eat. Nicole begins to refuse but gets a stern look from Gus.

“Thanks, Gus.” Nicole says with a dimpled grin and then she’s out the door.

Gus watches the tall redhead stride towards Curtis as he begins loading his truck with some lumber he’s had in the barn, his chop saw, a couple of shovels and a wheelbarrow. “Oh Curtis, I hope you are right about this.” Gus mumbles to herself as she takes a sip of her coffee.

 

Nicole knows where they are going the second Curtis turns off the main road.

“We’re going to the Earp Homestead?” She asks needlessly, but intrigued all the same. Curtis had just told her there was something they needed to do and that time was not on their side and that this project needed their immediate attention.

He clears his throat and takes a second to explain, prompting Nicole to look over at him.

“Waverly has been wanting to fix this place up and move back out here for years.” Curtis says and looks over to Nicole who has her eyebrows halfway up her forehead in surprise. She hadn’t known that about the brunette. She figured it would be the last place she’d want to live. She says this to Curtis.

He smiles to himself knowingly, having picked up on his ranch hand’s interest in his niece. He won’t give his approval, or blessing, or whatever it is father-figures are supposed to do these days, but that’s only because he knows neither she or Waverly are at that point yet, let alone dating. Still, he needs her to know that he will support such a notion. It’s important, especially now.

“She hasn’t said as much directly to Gus and I, but I know she sees this place as home. I thought it high time our Waverly gets something she deserves. Starting with her childhood home being fixed.” Curtis says, his eyes veering off the driveway to Nicole, who is surveying the quickly approaching house and small barn with an unreadable expression. “What do you think, Nicole? Can you rebuild this place into a safe and welcoming home for our Waverly?”

She turns to look at the man, seeing the depth of meaning in his eyes that mirror the question he just asked her. The way he keeps calling her _our_ Waverly. She feels like she’s standing on a cliff’s edge, not sure if jumping is going to cause her to free fall to her death or catch the wind and fly.

“Yes, Curtis. I can.”

…

“You’ve rubbed that glass so hard it’s about to turn into sand.” Rosita says as she sidles up to Waverly almost making her drop the glass in question. “What’s going on with you?” She asks, her tone concerned instead of teasing.

“Just got a lot on my mind.” She says and puts the glass down, sighing.

“Need to talk? We got about fifteen or so minutes until the Friday night hockey game crowd descend upon us.” Rosita says as she hops up on the bar.

“Gus would smack you if she saw you on her bar top.” Waverly admonishes. Rosita rolls her eyes dramatically and slips down. No one wants to make Gus mad.

“You have to testify at Champ’s hearing?” Rosita asks, figuring that was what was bothering her friend.

“Huh, oh, yes. I can’t wait to see Judge McCarthy throw the book at that asshole.” She says with a sneer.

“Something else going on?” Rosita asks again, noting how Waverly responded to her question about testifying. She gets a smile on her face when she sees a slight coloring to Waverly’s cheeks, telling her friend one thing.

“Are you banging the redhead? Nicole?” Rosita asks slowly. Waverly’s eyes go comically wide as does her mouth.

“No! Geez, Rosita, I was nearly raped by my ex-boyfriend two weeks ago! I’m not hopping into bed with _anyone_ right now!” She says loudly, more out of embarrassment at the mention of Nicole than the notion she’d be sleeping with someone so soon after the attack.

Rosita instantly looks contrite, if not a bit confused and Waverly calms instantly. “I’m sorry, that was completely rude of me. Of course you aren’t.”

“It’s okay. I just want the whole thing past me, you know? I want that prick in jail where he belongs for a long time so I can get on with my life without him or the mention of him.” Waverly says tiredly. She thinks about coming clean about the fact that she was indeed thinking of Nicole and how she’d like to try and pursue something with her. But she doesn’t want that happening until the thing with Champ is over, no matter the way her body keeps responding to the shape-shifting alpha.

 

…

 

It takes three straight days at the Earp Homestead, sun up to past sundown to clear away everything that was unusable, from clothing to curtains, furniture and failing structural material. It had taken four trips to the dump using Curtis’ big horse trailer until they had a good idea of the damage they’d have to repair.

It is daunting.

But Curtis is adamant that they get it done as soon as possible and to tell no one they are doing it, including Waverly. She doesn’t understand, but she agrees to it, seeing how important it is to Curtis.

Nicole is used to doing things faster and working longer hours than Curtis as she is a third of his age, but at the end of the long days keeping pace with him left her even more sore and tired than she normally would be.

A few times she’s wanted to stop and ask what the huge hurry was but didn’t want to seem like she didn’t want to work as hard as he was working. It was as if he was possessed or something at times, leaving Nicole to have to make him call it quits long after the sun had gone down for his own well-being.

As the days passed, she would hear Gus and he argue on the nights he didn’t go straight to bed after dinner. She always kept her door closed though, out of respect for their privacy, so she never got to hear exactly what they were arguing about. She assumed it was because he was working too hard. She figured Gus would eventually come to her and tell her to talk sense into him, but Gus never did.

Two weeks into the job, Nicole finally pulls him aside after he’d hammered his second finger, eliciting a string of curse words she’d never heard come out of his mouth before.

“Curtis. Stop.” It is gentle yet commanding and he does stop, looking up at Nicole with this driven, desperate look that he quickly tries to suppress, but it isn’t quick enough.

“You know I don’t mind working hard to get this done for Waverly, but why the big rush now? Hasn’t this place been sitting like this for like fifteen years?” She asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and concern.

Curtis leans back on his heels and sets the hammer down slowly. “I’ve been in denial Nicole. I cannot be anymore.” He says as he looks out across the horizon where the sun has just set.

She waits for him to continue, but he doesn’t. He looks down at his battered hand and then shakes it slowly, picking up his hammer again. He grabs another nail and Nicole is about to demand he answer her more clearly or she’ll walk off the job. That’s how concerned she is for Curtis, her employer, her friend.

“Nicole, I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll stay. You’ll finish this place and then you’ll stay. Here, with Waverly.” His words are distant and final and she knows that that is all she’s getting out of the man for now. So she gives him the only answer she can. The only answer she wants to give.

“I promise.”

 


	13. Worthy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some time to write! Things are moving now!

Nicole waits outside the small Purgatory courtroom, leaning against Curtis’ truck she hastily borrowed. Waverly had called her back to the courthouse telling her the jury had already reached a verdict. She opted to wait outside, not wanting to step foot in that court room again if she didn’t have to. She knew Waverly had friends and family in there with her for support and Waverly had understood.

**One Week Ago..**

_“Is there no other way?” Waverly asks, sitting up in her seat. She and Nicole had been summoned together to be deposed before the hearing. She hadn’t considered the risk Nicole would have to take in telling her side of the incident. The prosecutor told them both that Nicole’s testimony was as crucial as Waverly’s in putting Champ away for a very long time._

_“I can ask the defense for special consideration, I mean, this is Purgatory…” The prosecutor half-jokes. Sometimes cases could be a little… tricky in the Ghost River Triangle. Both the prosecution and defense sometimes made concessions if certain otherworldly facts were better left out of a case, as long as they had no bearing on the crime itself._

_Waverly looks at Nicole, her brow furrowed. “You don’t have to…” Waverly starts but Nicole looks straight at the prosecutor._

_“I’ll testify.” She says quietly, but with conviction. She looks over at Waverly and gives her a small smile when she sees worry as well as gratitude in the brunette’s expressive hazel eyes._

As it turns out, she did have to disclose her ability to shape-shift to a closed courtroom and the jury was sworn to confidentiality. It was worth it however when they’d returned in only two hours with full guilty verdicts on felony charges.

She pushes off the truck and straightens out her sleeves when she sees Waverly coming down the stairs with Gus and Rosita, all three with giant, relieved smiles. She sees Nicole and hurries the last few steps, pulling the surprised alpha into a tight embrace.

“Thank you.” She whispers in her ear from her tiptoes as she releases her from her hug. It is the most they’ve ever touched and Nicole’s body is acutely aware of that fact.

“I’m just glad they found him guilty on all counts.” Nicole says, her skin still humming from the warmth of Waverly’s arms around her.

“The judge recommended the full sentence as well. He’s looking at a minimum of 15 years because of his alpha status.” Gus adds happily.

“We’re having a few celebratory drinks down at Shorty’s…” Waverly says, her eyes trained on the tall redhead. Nicole looks quickly at Gus and then down at Waverly.

“I.. have time for one and then I have to get back to work with Curtis.” She says quickly.

“I can’t believe that whole section of fence went down like that.” Waverly says, disappointed the big project kept Curtis from attending the verdict and it’s kept her from seeing much of Nicole as well.

Nicole exchanges a guilty look with Gus as Nicole goes to open the passenger door. Waverly steps up though and climbs in casually announcing that Gus can ride with Rosita. Nicole just shrugs and walks around the back of the truck, a small smile spreading over her lips.

“Is my uncle okay?” Waverly asks a few moments into their short drive over to Shorty’s.

“Uh, yes. We’ve just been so busy with that fence.” Nicole lies, feeling bad. She knows something is going on with Curtis, but she doesn’t know what it is and it isn’t her place to speculate anyway. She hates not being able to tell Waverly about the Homestead, the promise she’d made to Curtis, but it seems so important to Curtis that she’s kept in the dark for right now. She trusted him and knew he only had Waverly’s well-being in mind. She just wished he trusted _her_ with more information.

Nicole can feel Waverly’s eyes on her and she fights the urge to look at her, not trusting her eyes to not give her away.

The ride to Shorty’s is mercifully short however so Nicole is able to make her escape as she pulls into the parking lot, shutting off the engine and going around quickly to open Waverly’s door.

Nicole stands there as Waverly pivots to get out of the big truck and Nicole sees her skirt ride up as she begins slipping out of the seat. She reaches out a hand for the omega and Waverly takes it, grasping tight as she uses the alpha’s leverage to get her feet set on the ground. The last half foot is a bit of a hop and Waverly’s momentum carries her square into Nicole’s chest.

Before any thought stops her, Nicole reaches around the back of Waverly’s neck and pulls her in for a kiss. It’s completely spontaneous and it takes a second for Waverly to respond, but when she does, it is with the pent up heat she’s carried with her ever since the first night they met, and of course, that damn dream she’d had.

Nicole pulls away first, breathless, chest pounding, shock evident in her eyes. In Waverly’s eyes too.

“I’m sor…” She almost gets out before Waverly’s lips are back on hers, her hand snaking into the loose plait on the back of Nicole’s head. The immense pleasure and heat of the kiss as well as the soft, quick, high pitched moan from the omega’s throat begins to trigger Nicole’s shift and she rips her lips from the brunette’s, her eyes phasing from brown to yellow in a pulsating, hypnotic rhythm.

Waverly recognizes what’s happening and places a hand on Nicole’s heaving chest. Immediately, Nicole’s out of control libido begins to give way to a warm, comforting sensation. She closes her eyes and begins the breathing techniques Juan Carlo has been teaching her and she focuses on the hand to her chest, willing her heart rate to slow. After a few tense, waited moments, she opens her eyes and finds herself staring into the brunette’s patient, concerned, comforting eyes. _Waverly,_ she sighs breathlessly in her mind.

“How did you..” Nicole tries to ask, but her vocal chords are still settling from their near shift. She swallows and tries again, this time her voice just above a whisper.

“I’m not sure to be honest. I just wanted to get you calm, I wanted you to stay with me.” Waverly says quietly, a bit embarrassed but with a hint of awe in her eyes that it had worked.

Nicole takes a deep breath and surreptitiously runs a hand over the front of her pants to make sure _everything_ is back to normal. When she is satisfied that it is, a deep blush runs up her neck and Waverly’s hand that is still resting against her chest above her breasts, traces the color with a fingertip in utter amusement up the hollow of her throat.

“Hey, let’s save that kind of touching for when I’m confident I won’t go wild on you, literally.” Nicole says in a stilted voice as she gently pulls Waverly’s hand away. “Because if this happens with just a kiss from you, I’m gonna need a lot more sessions with Juan Carlo.”

Waverly pulls her lips in and gives Nicole a coy smile. Inside she’s bubbling with anticipation and if they don’t get out of each other’s presence soon, she knows she’s gonna start giving off a scent that neither might not be able to control their reactions to.

“Right. Well, I guess we know where this friendship is going now.” Waverly says as she steps back. Her tone is light, but her eyes convey a seriousness and Nicole feels the weight of what the omega is actually positing.

She thinks about the connection she felt with Waverly minutes after meeting her. She knows for sure that Waverly feels it too now. And even though she can easily come up with a hundred reasons for Waverly not to get involved with her, there is one reason she thinks she should try - Curtis. He sees in her a worthiness she’s never seen in herself. A worthiness, he, Gus, even Juan Carlo seem to see in her. And then there were Curtis’ words to her after she made that promise but he could still see doubt in her eyes. _“Give yourself a chance to earn the right to be with her, even when you think you don’t deserve her. You’ll find that eventually through your words and actions, you will deem yourself worthy in her eyes.”_

She knows she’s been silent too long and the look of sadness and disappointment in the omega’s eyes prompts her to give Waverly a shy smile and her response.

“It’s going to go wherever _you_ want it to, Waverly, but if you’ll have me, I’ll be by your side for as long as you want.” Nicole says earnestly, leaning down and resting her forehead to Waverly’s until Rosita pokes her head out of the door of the bar and yells to them that they’re going to start without them if they don’t get their asses inside.

They break apart with a laugh and Waverly grabs Nicole’s hand, playfully dragging her to the bar. Right before Nicole rushes in front to open the door, Waverly pulls her back.

“You better start doing double sessions with Juan Carlo then. When we are ready for the next step, you’re going to need all the control you can get. Especially when I go into heat.” She winks, trailing a finger across Nicole’s jaw as she saunters through the door leaving Nicole holding it open, eyes wide.

 

 

…

 

 

Nicole checks her watch wondering where Juan Carlo is. He’s never late to their sessions. She heads around the back of the dilapidated gas station and that’s when she smells it, heavy anger coming at her in waves. Before she can source it though, she’s knocked to the ground by something hard, heavy. She tries to get back up but is kicked in the side. She tries to control her breathing, feeling herself change. She looks up and sees Juan Carlo, but his image is getting fuzzy. She’s confused. Is he in trouble? Who is hitting her?  Why does he just stand there?

“Fight it.” She hears him say, and she again tries to stand, but she’s hit again. She’s losing the battle quickly as she tries to focus on Juan Carlo who is standing a few feet in front of her, hands to his side, doing nothing to help her.

“Fight it!” He commands again and she bears down, clinching her teeth as they slowly begin to shift into their carnivore shapes.

She mutters the words he taught her to focus her energy on staying the shift and wheels around, shoving the guy nearest her to the ground. She spins in a slow defensive circle and opens her mouth to ask what the fuck is going on when she gets a fist to the jaw. Her tentative hold on her change slips and her throbbing jaw begins to shift.

She lets out a long, labored groan, that turns into a mewl. She’s desperately trying to stay focused on her human mind, her thoughts and memories as her body pulses with pain and surprise at being attacked while Juan Carlo continues to stands there. She suddenly realizes that this is a test. She’s being tested by Juan Carlos. But why attack her physically?

There’s another blow, to the side of her head as she hears her clothing stretch and rip as her shoulder and hip joints rotate and shift. She feels something catch around her neck and she whips her head around to see someone she knows she’s seen before and she tries desperately to place him to remember before her mind slips into her cat form, the transition complete.

“She’s not ready. I told you.” Juan Carlo mutters angrily as three cloaked figures come out from behind the other side of the building and quickly drag a large metal cage over and slide the angry cat into it using noose poles and a cattle prod.

They all stare at the cat as she lashes her paw out between the bars trying to get to them.

“We’re running out of time. If you can’t help her get her shifting under control, she’ll be useless to us, and to them.” The leader of the cloaked figures reminds him. “Perhaps it’s time she’s told the truth, before it’s too late.”

“Leave us.” He says, effectively dismissing them as he crouches down getting level with the big cat who is growling and hissing low and dangerous, pacing from one end of the small cage to the other. His eyes squint in deep thought as his heart grows heavy.


	14. Long Shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that warning I was telling you about.

Juan Carlo lets the big cat shift at her own pace, which takes longer because of her minor contusions and injuries. As he has done since he started working with Nicole, he makes note of how long it takes for her to shift.

He tosses a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt into the cage when he sees her start to shift back. He goes over to his truck, grabbing a bottle of water and energy bar. He lingers at it while he hears her groaning and grimacing until he hears a rustle of clothes. He can smell the anger radiating from her. “Better get this over with now.” He mutters.

He unlatches the cage from the outside and shuffles back as Nicole crawls out and advances on him, eyes flaming yellow with confusion, fear and anger.

He stumbles back quickly, losing his balance and dropping the water and energy bar as he falls onto his back. Nicole is on him in an instant, eyes shifting yellow to brown and back again. She lifts her hand and stares at it until her blunt nails give way to sharp claws.

“Nicole, please.” He cries desperately, sure he’s seen his last sunrise. Her non-clawed fingers on her other hand wrap around his throat and she pulls her other hand back, ready to slash his face open. If he wasn’t fearing for his life, he’d be amazed at what she’s just done. Just as her face contorts into a half cat, half human, all encompassing rage, she looks down into Juan Carlo’s eyes. “Please Nicole, I’m sorry.” He pleads through his restricted airway. She snaps her jaw shut, and her eyes become brown and lucid again. Her face shifts back into human form and her clawed hand comes down as her nose sniffs the air for the others that attacked her.

Another moment and she sinks onto her knees, breathing heavily at what she almost did. Her claws retract and she scrambles up, calmer, but still not trusting him as she continues to look around for the others.

“They’re gone. I sent them away. I’m sorry, I didn’t have time to warn you…” He says as he begins to stand. When he’s upright, ready to tell her what’s going on, she’s gone.

“Goddamnit!” He yells hoarsely, rubbing his throat gingerly.

 

…

 

“Nicole?” Curtis prods again when his first question goes unanswered.

“What? I’m sorry.” Nicole says with a contrite smile. She’d been staring out the window of the old truck deep in thought.

“I asked if you knew how to sweat copper for the downstairs bathroom re-plumbing job on the homestead…”

“Oh, yes I can, if you have the tools.” She says simply. She gives him a questioning smile. “You okay, Curtis?” She asks. She’s grown used to the change in Curtis since they started fixing up the homestead, but the last few days he’s gotten noticeably more quiet and reticent. She’s tried to talk to Gus, seeing if perhaps Curtis is sick. It would explain a lot, but Gus said he wasn’t and left it at that.

“I will be.” He says with a grim smile. “We’re here.” He says before Nicole can respond, throwing the truck in park and getting out, grabbing his tool belt from the back with Nicole following suit.

 

…

 

Nicole looks up at the moon as she sits on a rock just on the outside of the McCready property line. She’d been deep in thought, thinking about Juan Carlo and the men that attacked her. She had so many questions, but was honestly afraid to contact Juan Carlo again. She was confused and afraid and felt betrayed by the man she thought was her friend.

But mostly she was disappointed. She’d been avoiding Waverly the last couple of days, not sure how to explain what had happened with Juan Carlo. She felt he was her only hope at getting her to feel halfway normal and now that was all in jeopardy.

Still, she had been putting what he had taught her so far into practice. Really trying to control her shift. She’d thought about those few seconds when she shifted between forms when she was about to kill Juan Carlo. She shocked herself when she’d pretty much willed her claws to come out as she held him to the ground. She’d felt this instinctual desire to sink her claws into flesh. It was a strange sensation, being caught between the cougar and human. Things became very simple and direct when she felt her face slip out of its human form and her claws come out: kill it before it kills you.

She takes a deep breath and looks again at the full moon. She knows any minute, she will start to shift. She begins concentrating on Waverly, taking in her features, her laugh, her smile, the way she says Nicole’s name.

_“I wanted you to stay with me.”_

Nicole begins to feel the tingle on her skin and ache in her joints as her change commences.

She redoubles her efforts, breathing deeply, picturing Waverly and whispering the ancient words now seared into her memory. She does this for five minutes as she feels her body pulse, feeling her joints stretch and slip and return to their original shape.

She opens her eyes, feeling the shift stop and she looks down, just to confirm.

“Holy shit, I did it.” She breathes, her face splitting into a proud, dimpled grin. She sinks back down onto the rock when she realizes she cannot go to Juan Carlo and she knows Waverly’s just a few hours into her night’s sleep. For now, this new development would be her hopeful little secret.

She stays in her human form for another hour and then when the pull is too much, she closes her eyes, and just like she did when she felt her claws come out over Juan Carlos, she visualizes her cougar form and a few minutes later, she’s running through the dense forest, sniffing the earth and air.

…

 

“Curtis?” Gus calls as she goes down the stairs. She remembers him getting up some time in the night but she doesn’t ever remember him returning.

“Maybe they got a really early start over to the homestead.” She wonders aloud and goes to see if Nicole is gone which would confirm her suspicions. She remembers it was a full moon last night though and hesitates knocking, knowing Nicole tended to sleep a bit longer the morning after. When no one answers, she figures they are at the homestead. Still, it is weird that Curtis never woke her to say they are going. He always did.

She makes her way to the kitchen to get some coffee and realizes the pot is empty and cold. Curtis _always_ has a cup of coffee before heading out. She heads outside, something feeling not quite right.

She becomes increasingly alarmed when she sees all the vehicles there and accounted for. A quick search of the barn shows no sign of them and the tools they take back and forth to the homestead are still in their bins just inside the door.

When she lets herself into Nicole’s room to confirm she’s just not still asleep, she sees her bed made neatly. When she does another sweep of the kitchen and sees no note, no sign either had been up and gotten coffee or breakfast, she decides to call Shorty to help her come search. When she hangs up with him, she notices that Curtis’ rifle is gone, a box of shells opened hastily with half the contents missing.

…

 

By late afternoon, the search party has increased to include Shorty, Nedley, Deputy Smith, Waverly and even Juan Carlo. He’s very wary around Waverly, but Gus and the others are too worried about Nicole and Curtis to notice.

They decide to split up and take different corners of the property and work their way back to the barn, hoping they find them off tending to a fence or maybe they found another mutilated cow, but even that would be unlikely. They would have been back by now.

They partner up, Shorty joining Gus, Officer Smith with Juan Carlo and Sheriff Nedley pairing with Waverly. “Call me if you see anything.” Gus calls out to them all and they nod dutifully.

…

Nicole’s aware of a deep stinging first. Her nose is assaulted with the smell of iron and her stomach turns, placing the smell immediately. She’s naked and freezing and her whole body hurts. She raises slowly, seeing the reason for the smell immediately as she is covered in blood. _Her blood_. She looks down her body seeing various puncture wounds and slices.  She drags her eyes slowly over her immediate area, her stomach instantly roiling with both physical pain and dread.

She hears her name being called out by someone, Nedley, maybe, and when she turns her head to the sound of the voice her eyes sweep over Curtis’ mangled, bloody body, his lifeless eyes staring right at her.

She instantly loses the contents of what was left in her stomach from the night before. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand as she crawls to his body, hands shaking uncontrollably.  "No, no, no...."  She cries out in a barely audible whisper, her eyes immediately filling with tears at the sight in front of her.  She’s then joined by someone, their long shadow falling over her.

“Jesus Christ.” Nedley whispers taking a knee next to his body but not close enough to disturb evidence. Nicole looks at him, pleadingly but his eyes are fixed on Curtis’ body. He’s about to say something else when they hear Waverly’s voice not more than 30 feet away.

“Sheriff Nedley?  Did you find them?” Waverly calls out to Nedley when she sees the top of his hat disappear suddenly over the small ridge of the hill they were climbing up.

Nicole’s head shoots up and she looks in that direction, her eyes flying to Nedley’s in desperation. Any second Waverly would be over the ridge and see everything.

“Don’t you fucking move.” Nedley demands, shock and anger evident in his hushed tone. It makes Nicole jump slightly, immediately realizing who he thought did this to Curtis. He hurries to cut off Waverly so she doesn’t see her uncle’s body.

Nicole pulls herself into a ball, her injuries forgotten as she stares at one of the only people that ever trusted her. _How could she do this to him?_

 

 

 


	15. Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about Curtis. He's the catalyst to what comes next. Didn't intend to write a whole big bad plot, but here it goes. Get used to every chapter ending in a cliffhanger... Sorry not sorry. Happy Holidays everyone!

Nicole has a hard time focusing on Sheriff Nedley’s directions he is giving to Deputy Smith, but she tries her best to listen as the deputy asks her to turn her wrists over, lift her hair at the base of her neck, spread her fingers out so he could get a good shot of her nails. She’s so cold she’s actually stopped shivering, but she knows this is necessary. It will either exonerate her or incriminate her, but she didn’t care. Curtis was dead and she either killed him or let it happen. _God, I wish I could just remember_ … She thinks, becoming more distraught by the moment.

She hears a commotion on the other side of the ridge and Nedley’s eyes go wide as they both hear Gus and Waverly storming towards them. “Dammit!” He growls as he rattles off some last pictures to get as he turns and stomps towards their voices.

Nedley had been able to hold off Waverly initially, telling her he found something that belonged to Curtis but needed her to keep looking, pointing her off in another direction to buy himself time. He quickly radioed Smith to run to the squad car and get the evidence camera.

He knew Nicole needed medical attention, but none of her wounds looked life threatening. He needed to preserve the scene best he could, and that included photographing all of Nicole’s wounds. He fought off his guilt at having her stay where she was, still naked, her wounds bleeding sluggishly. His eyes would go to Curtis’ body whenever he was tempted just to throw a blanket on her and call the ambulance up.

“What is going on up here?” Gus demands, shaking off two deputies that had been chasing the women up the field, their instructions to get to the McCready Ranch and keep everyone away from the southwest corner of the property, especially Gus and Waverly.

“Why is there another squad car and an ambulance in front of my barn?” Gus continues, her voice becoming more agitated and scared with every word. Nedley knew he’d have a hard time keeping them away. He swallows hard as he tries to intercept both women. But it’s too late. Gus’ eyes go over Nedley’s shoulder.

“Is that…?” She pushes out in a choked whisper.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Cready.. Gus… Curtis is..” He says but he’s now staring at the back of her head as she runs to him, collapsing to her knees about two feet from her husband.

“NO! YOU PROMISED ME!” She screams. Nicole, who had watched her approach them, shrinks back, thinking Gus is yelling at her, but her eyes are fixed on Curtis.

 

Gus slowly stands and approaches Curtis’ body, kneeling down next to his shoulder as Waverly approaches the scene. There’s an audible gasp and Nicole looks up and sees Waverly’s hand go to her mouth, her eyes instantly wide open and beginning to spill large tears.

“Curtis!” She cries as she comes to stand next to Gus, her hand tightening on her shoulder in shock and sadness.

“What… How?” Gus pleads, looking up at Nedley.

“It looks like he was… attacked by something, an animal, maybe.” He looks at Nicole for a second before turning back to Gus. “The wounds are consistent with large claws, teeth…” He says, wiping at his cheek as he speaks mechanically, trying to keep his own emotions under control. “There was a knife.. next to him there.” Nedley points and then gestures for Smith to bring it over, already bagged and tagged.

Gus nods at the information woodenly and looks at the knife. “It’s his. Did you find his rifle? Why doesn’t he have his rifle?” She asks, her voice sounding far away, distracted.

“We didn’t see it.” Nedley answers.

“I’m sorry.” Nicole says vacantly, listening to them. They all look over at her and Waverly moves slowly towards her.

“Nicole?” Waverly asks, her voice shaky, her eyes fearful. No one needs to guess what she’s asking.

“I… I don’t know.” Nicole says her head down, tears leaving streaks through the mud and blood on her cheeks. She can’t bear to look any of them in the eyes, knowing she likely had a hand in shattering their hearts and taking Curtis away from them. Waverly stands awkwardly between Gus and Nicole, her heart caught between comforting the obviously injured and upset alpha or keeping her distance.

“Get her a blanket, for Christ’s sake.” Gus spits out at Smith. She’s yet to address the shape-shifter or look at her for more than a second or two and it is killing Nicole.

Nedley takes Smith aside to make sure he got all the pictures he needed. He then instructs him to give Nicole a blanket and radios the ambulance and also the coroner up the mountain.

Nicole wraps the blanket around her, hissing quietly at how the rough blanket scratches against her wounds.

Nedley pulls Gus and Waverly to the side, speaking to them in low tones, the three of them taking turns glancing back at Nicole with a myriad of expressions: Fear, shock, sympathy, confusion, anger.

She begins to tremble again, now that she’s heading back towards a normal body temperature. She wishes beyond anything to explain that whatever happened here, she wasn’t consciously part of it. It was not her human brain doing this, but they can’t even really look at her. Why would they? She was found lying next to Curtis’ dead body with what will most likely turn out to be knife wounds from Curtis trying to fend her off.

She tries to stand as she sees the lights of the ambulance approaching. Once she gets to a knee and then to her feet, she tightens the blanket around her, trying to cover both her breasts and the area between her legs. Nedley’s hand briefly brushes his gun holster as he approaches her, but he knows she isn’t going anywhere. His face softens slightly as he guides her away from Waverly and Gus towards the approaching ambulance

She looks up as the ambulance arrives, catching Waverly staring at her with an awkward expression on her face. Nicole just pulls her blanket as tight and low as it can go when she sees where Waverly’s eyes flashed to before looking away and back to Gus. She’s exhausted, in pain, emotionally and physically and feeling more vulnerable than she’s ever felt in her life. All she wants to do is shift and run. Run away from the pain and the heartbreak and suspicion she sees in everyone’s eyes

“Smith will accompany you to the hospital for treatment. I’m sorry Nicole, I’ve gotta Mirandize you.” He says. His forty years on the force have taught him to trust his gut, but the evidence is telling him something else. One thing is for sure though, no stone will be left unturned and no detail will be discarded, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

Nicole nods solemnly. This wouldn’t be the first time she’d been arrested. Her skin tingles and tightens when she sees Juan Carlo riding in with the coroner. He jumps out quickly and looks at her for a long moment, obviously wanting to say something to her, but Nedley ushers her into the ambulance.

“Is that necessary?” Waverly speaks up looking at Nicole’s hands when Deputy Smith cuffs her as a larger blanket is placed upon her shoulders and wrapped around her middle. Nicole’s heart pounds wildly at Waverly’s concern.

“Afraid it is. For the safety of the paramedics.” Nedley says. Nicole feels her heart shatter in a million pieces when Waverly nods in understanding and her eyes fall from Nicole as she turns her back to her and puts her arm around Gus as they place Curtis’ body in a body bag and gingerly up onto a gurney.

…

After her wounds are treated, she’s brought back to the police station. Once away from Nedley and medical staff, Smith’s thoughts on Nicole become clear as she’s shoved into a holding cell with a couple of huge, menacing alphas arrested for terrorizing a strip joint.

“Hey, I’m not supposed to be in with them!” Nicole pleads, feeling their eyes on her already as Smith just scowls at her and turns away. She turns around, feeling totally exposed in her thin medical scrubs she was given to wear at the hospital. Even if she was an alpha, like them, she was female. She knew this was absolutely against protocol.

She watches the men sneer and chuckle at their good fortune. They approach immediately knowing they had to get their fun in before an officer came back.

She watches them approach and she momentarily thinks to just let them have their way with her. Kill her. Everyone would be better off. But then she hears Curtis’ voice in her head. It is then she knows, in the deepest parts of her heart and mind that she did not kill him. _I didn’t kill him. I couldn’t have._

Now all the anger and frustration and heartache she’d gone through the last few hours began to manifest into a deep, hot rage. She closes her eyes as her fingers began to pulse, welcoming the change she felt coming.

But then a vision, a memory came flashing through her mind. It was Curtis, in his last few breaths. _“Make sure they know. Nicole, please, I know you can hear me! Make sure they know he’s coming.”_

The first man got to her, wrapping his hand around her neck, shocking her out of her memory. She didn’t have time to revel in the fact she recalled something from her cougar mind as the second one grabbed an arm. She fought her change, focusing on elongating her muscles, so the men lost their grip as they stepped back in shock.

Her fingers shortened as her claws began to form and her eyes turn yellow. She felt her throat shift, her vocal chords disappearing. She slowed the change and growled at the men, just as her human canines morphed into her large cat fangs.

“Back the fuck up or they’ll be nothing left of you to even mop up.”

Their eyes go even wider and they back up to the other side of the cell, falling clumsily when their knees hit the steel bench.

She turns back around, watching and waiting for Nedley to come back. She needed to talk to Juan Carlo immediately.


	16. Unfinished Business

Waverly watches over Gus as she sleeps fitfully on her couch. She couldn’t bring herself to sleep in the bed she shared with Curtis. Waverly pulls the blanket up over her shoulders once again as she turns.

She’d offer to take on Gus’ pain, but Gus had just given her a stern look. _“You already know the answer to that, honey.”_ She’d said, tired and solemn, but touched by her niece’s offer. So, Waverly sits, feeling useless next to the woman who raised her, mourning the loss of the other half of her soul.

She’d been crying on and off as well after the shock had worn off. The sight of her uncle’s body burned into her brain. She’d tried to get Gus to talk to her about what she’d said upon seeing him. Her aunt’s emotional outburst about something Curtis promised her had been niggling at the back of her brain and she knew there was something behind it. Something both she and Curtis had been keeping from her. But with Gus as despondent as she is, she didn’t press.

Her thoughts turn back to Nicole, as they had a few times over the last couple of days. She’d heard from Nedley that she was released to Juan Carlo until the investigation was complete, but that was it. She wanted to ask more, but right now all of her attention needed to be focused on her aunt.

 

…

 

It was a small mercy that Nicole didn’t understand, but gladly accepted when Nedley came and escorted her out of the cell in the late morning. He wasn’t friendly by any means, but he did seem somewhat sympathetic. He gruffly apologized for Deputy Smith’s behavior (apparently the officer had forgotten there are cameras in the holding cell area) and took her to the back of the station where he handed her off to Juan Carlo with strict instructions to keep her close as the investigation was still pending. She was so surprised she almost missed Nedley’s not so veiled warning.

“We’ve got a lot of people who loved Curtis very much and I won’t stop them from hunting you down if you run. Understand?”

She nods slowly and manages a broken, ‘yes’ as Juan Carlo opens the door for her to get in. She eases herself into the seat gingerly, instantly glad for the softness of it compared to the thin, dirty mattress on the cell floor. Her wounds heal quicker than a normal human’s but she’d take a good week to feel herself again, at least physically, and she was glad not to have to do it in that holding cell.

 

She was still leery of the old tow truck driver but he said he would explain what had happened when those men attacked her and that it most likely tied in to what happened to Curtis. That alone would have gotten her in the truck with him, despite Nedley’s words. She needed answers, and she needed him to help her with her vague memory of Curtis’ last words.

 

They drove to a place closer to town than the old gas station, but still on the outskirts. It could only be found if someone knew where they were looking as he turned off a series of barely leveled roads until he came to a small, old single room cabin.

“This is mine. I rarely use it, but you can stay here until Nedley comes to fetch you.” He says as he moves about stocking the old potbelly stove with wood and kindling. “I’ve put some staples in the cupboard and icebox for you. I’ll be by every day in the morning to check to see if you need anything.” He says over his shoulder as he gives the place a once over to see if there’s anything else he needs to tell her about.

She looks at him confused. “I thought you were supposed to stay with me and make sure I didn’t run off?”

“You won’t.” He shrugs.

She’s looking at manslaughter charges at best, murder in the first degree at worst. Her vague memory isn’t going to stand up in court if they find evidence to the contrary.

“How do you know?” She challenges, her patience running thin on what Juan Carlo knows but isn’t telling her.

“Because I know for a fact you didn’t kill him. I know what that family means to you.”

“Well, you better start by telling me what the hell happened the other day.” She says her eyes hard and her voice unyielding. She’s hurting and tired and can’t shake this feeling like she’s some sort of pawn in this old shape-shifter’s mysterious game.

“The men that attacked you behind the gas station was a group called the Order. A supernatural police force if you will. They wanted to see if you were ready.” He then adds quickly at her narrowing brows,  “There’s something terrible coming and we need all the help we can get.” He says, gesturing to the old worn couch for her to sit.

“We? You part of them?” She says moving towards the couch, but not sitting.

“I consult with them. They came to me when one of them saw you shift, out in the woods a couple of months ago.” He answers, unease visible in his posture and tone as he shifts on the couch to look up at her, allowing her to dominate him with her position.

She thinks over the times she’s changed and can only think of one instance when she was unaware of who might see her change. It was the night she first met Waverly in the bar, her near rutting reaction sparking her change. Then another realization hits her and it has her whole body pulsing.

“Did you _even_ know my grandfather?” She moves closer to him, tall and menacing.

His eyes leave hers and drop down at the ground and that’s all the answer she needs as she lunges forward, grabbing his throat. Her claws begin to protrude and he feels shallow, sharp puncture wounds. His momentary terror and pain falls away as he continues to watch her, her face and eyes remain human, but her claws…

“Nicole! You are doing it!” He exclaims in utter joy. The reaction completely confounds her and her grip slips on his throat a bit.

“Your claws!!” He says and she immediately retracts her hand and sees her nails are in fact long, hard sharp cat claws, just like in the jail cell.

“I knew you could do it! Like you did to those alphas that threatened you last night!” He says, his excitement throwing her off. He uses her stunned puzzlement to pull away and slip from her weak grasp. Rushing to the fireplace mantel, he opens a black metal box and grabs a small, very old looking leather-bound book.

She’s still looking at her claws in wonder. This is the second time she’s been able to control the extent of her shift. Apparently Nedley showed Juan Carlo the holding cell footage.

“Visualize your hands.” He says and she looks at them, doing what he says automatically. She closes her eyes, concentrating on what her hands look like. She feels her claws retract and her eyes pop open, and her mouth forms an ‘O’ in surprise when she stares down at her normal hand again.

Her eyes narrow when she remembers why they’d come out in the first place. He sees this and puts his hands up, his eyes pleading with her.

“I am a shape-shifter. And I did know your grandfather’s tribe. But I did not know your grandfather personally. I’m truly sorry for lying, but I needed you to trust me, quickly…” His eyes are pleading and contrite and Nicole barks out an incredulous laugh.

“Gaining my trust by lying about something I held sacred in my heart?” She shakes her head in disgust.

He swallows hard, undeterred by what he needs her to understand. “Listen to me, Nicole. The demons who are coming… they knew him, your grandfather, therefor the Order knew him too. Nicole, the ones who killed your family, they weren’t ignorant fearful townsfolk. They were demons. The same kind of demons that are coming here for some unfinished business with our kind… and the Earps.”

At the mention of Waverly’s surname, her head shoots up and her eyes narrow. “How the hell can you think I’d believe anything that comes out of your mouth now?”

“Because it’s all in here.” He says, handing over the old book he pulled out of the metal box. “It’s why Nedley let me take you out of jail.” He says, his eyes locking on Nicole’s earnestly. “We need to get ready. Curtis’ death is just the beginning.”

 

…

 

Waverly’s fingers hover over the send button. She hates to send the news via email, but it is the only way she can contact her sister. She kept the details short, only saying that Curtis died unexpectedly and gave the date and location for his funeral. She’d added and deleted a sentence about hoping to see her there, but it sounded strange as she read it. She decided just to end the short message with three words: _We miss you_.

She hits the button and slowly closes her laptop. She looks up at the clock, knowing she has a lot to do today so she’d better get to it.

 

…

 

He stares out over the restless collection of beings, his eyes and hair as black as the sky on a moonless night. He looks each of them in the eye and nods, a menacing sneer slashing across his face as he takes a breath and announces, “The day has finally come, my brethren as the last remaining spawn will be brought together on the land where it all started on the anniversary of when it started. A wrong 150 years old will be made right soon. Your deaths will be avenged and the curse lifted.”

A growing swell of cheers and battle cries sound out throughout the deeply hidden abandoned mineshaft as the beings sense finality to their endless torment. All they need to do is kill two defenseless girls to do it.

 

 

 

 


	17. As Famous as Wyatt Himself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this thing feels like its going off the rails. But I do have a destination. I think. There will be some Wayhaught interaction next chapter and of course, Wynonna. Thanks for reading (if you still are!)

“I need to know what happened the night Curtis was killed. Can you help me?” She asks, hating the fact she needs his help. She’s still angry with him. Angry enough to want to kill him if she finds he has lied to her about anything else, but she _must_ know what happened that night.

“You must straddle between your two worlds. It is a delicate balance, one you can only achieve if you can keep yourself from changing fully. This isn’t just a flash or a second, Nicole. It can take several minutes hovering between change to recall even a short amount of time.” He cautions.

“How?” She asks, sharp and impatient.

“It’s easier if you have an object or a scent to bring you back to the memory your trying to bring back.” He says and stands and walks out of the cabin without a word. She stares after him puzzled until he returns a few seconds later, a piece of tattered cloth in his hand. “I knew you’d want to try.” He says, opening his palm with the cloth in it. She recognizes the pattern instantly and the smell. It’s a piece of Curtis’ flannel from that night.

“How did you..” She asks, her eyes wide, her hands recoiling.

“I took it as the coroner was loading him. Nicole, this will help you remember, I promise.” He says, his tired, old eyes holding nothing but sympathy and patience. “Lie back, breath in the scent of cloth, and focus.” He says quietly.

She’s achy and tired from her lingering injuries, but pushes that all aside and brings the cloth to her nose inhaling Curtis’ scent, the metallic tang of blood. She forgets about Juan Carlo, the cryptic book, the looming charges against her and just concentrates on that night.

She closes her eyes and feels her eyes slightly shift shape. She knows they are her cougar yellow now. She fights the urge to succumb to the shift, concentrating on her memory, right after her shift on the night of the full moon.

She immediately starts by remembering the moments right before her change and then, as she brings herself back to the details of that night, she has a new memory sensation. At first, it’s like a dream, where there’s no sense of time, but as her mind reaches further and her breathing lengthens, she begins recalling things in sharp detail.

She takes a moment to revel in this new consciousness, recalling her cougar memories. It’s exhilarating to say the least and now that she’s unlocked them, she realizes just how much her cougar brain is linked to her human one, it just communicates differently.

Now it’s as if she’s back on that night as her human form morphs into cougar on the boulder she was perched on.

_She hits the ground and the earth is cold under her pads. She sniffs the air and lets the scent of a nearby rabbit occupy her for a bit. She travels slow, enjoying the hunt, pausing when she picks up another, very familiar scent on an old tire swing that has her purring and rubbing against it for a second before the scent of the rabbit grows stronger._

_She’s confused however because it’s as if the rabbit has doubled back towards her, not away. It’s then she smells it, an acrid, oily, dank scent that tickles at her deep, faraway memories. Her animal instincts tell her she’s completely out-matched, yet she can’t help but follow the scent, especially when she realizes it is heading towards the homestead. She trots along the fence line where she picked up the scent, being careful not to lose it. When the barn comes into sight, she begins to run as the scent grows stronger. She knows she is closing in on whatever it is and begins to prepare herself to defend the humans she knows live in the structure just beyond the barn._

_When she slows to round the corner, she spots the hideous creature, some sort of humanoid dog but with sparse hair, black skin and glowing red eyes. She hisses at it to draw its attention off the house. It works for a second but then she hears the creaking of the front door and the strong scent of a human she knows she is fond of. She rushes the beast as Curtis’ jumps back into the house. They circle each other before both of their ears catch shotgun shells being racked._

_“Nicole, move!” She hears Curtis say as he brings the shotgun up to his shoulder. Hearing her human name jars her into action, but instead of moving away, she jumps on the beast. The cougar knows a gun will do nothing to it and can’t risk the beast going after Curtis._

_Inexplicably though the beast shakes off the cougar and turns and heads up where she had first scented it. She pursues it immediately, thoughts of Curtis and his shotgun fading as she concentrates on pursuing the grotesque beast, making sure it runs off the property and back to wherever it came from._

_She watches as the beast scrambles up a ladder and perches itself in a deer stand. It taunts the cougar as she circles the base of the tree. She’s able to jump, but unable to climb through the small door at the base of the structure in her current form._

_It goes against her animal instincts, engaging in this much larger and more powerful beast, but she knows deep in her mind, she needs to protect who lives here on this property at all costs. So when she smells then hears the figure approaching behind her, a keen desperation fills her cougar mind as she tries to claw out of it, back to her human form but she can’t. Her cougar senses and instincts are too heightened. Instead, she turns to Curtis and hisses menacingly at him, trying to frighten him away._

_She doesn’t have time to even see if Curtis heeded her actions as she feels the weight of the beast on her back. She turns and claws her way out from underneath him, knowing she didn’t even draw blood on the hideous thing as she pulls up to her four legs again ready to pounce on it as it turns to Curtis who had dropped his shotgun in fear._

_Her attention was so focused on the beast she hadn’t seen another figure approach until it was too late. It moved fast, closing in on Curtis and pulling his knife out of its leather holder before Curtis even knew what was happening._

_This new creature has Curtis’ knife in one of hits ‘hands’. The fingers are long gnarled, and shaped more like thick twigs than actual fingers. His other ‘hand’ is wrapped around Curtis’ throat. It had on some sort of cape or robe draped over its form and gave off no scent, which confused the cougar. But it didn’t stop her from leaping at it, sinking her teeth in what tasted like wet ash and felt like the bark of an old redwood before feeling Curtis’ knife plunge into her lower right flank._

_She growls in pain but doesn’t release the creature, making it forget Curtis for a moment. The cougar tries to gain purchase in the creatures limbs, torso, anything, but it is hard as a tree with no flesh to sink claw or teeth into. She fights it until it has sunk the knife into her about a half dozen more times. Finally weakened enough that her jaw loosens from its tree trunk like neck, it tosses her aside and she feels and smells the rancid breath of the other beast ready to finish her off._

_“Leave the cougar.” She hears it command. “This one. This one must die.” It hisses, pointing to Curtis who is trying to scramble away. The beast picks up Curtis like a rag doll and drags him away as the cougar attempts to get up and pursue._

_She’s hit by something hard across the back of her neck rendering her unconscious._

The blow she recalls immediately brings her out of her trance-like state and she blinks as her heart threatens to beat out of her chest.

“What? What did you see, Nicole?” Juan Carlo asks, leaning forward.

“Not yet. I need to go back.” She says and closes her eyes again, trying to get back to her memory. She clutches the piece of Curtis’ flannel and in a few seconds she’s back.

_She comes to but has no idea how long she’s been out. She’s alone. She struggles to stand and makes her way as fast as she can, following Curtis’ scent. It feels like it takes hours but finally she makes out a dark lump at the back of the property. She can smell the copious amount of blood already. Seeing him like this even in her cougar brain, urges her body to shift, but with her injuries, she cannot. She lies down next to him, licking and nuzzling his outstretched hand, trying to give the dying man comfort._

_“You must warn them all, Nicole…”_

She comes out of her memories, the thought of watching Curtis expire again too painful. She recounts every detail to Juan Carlo, still disturbed by the creature’s lack of… body.

“It wasn’t even… it had no flesh, it was like a twisted, rotting tree…” She says, mind still recalling the sight of the creature vividly.

“He was human at one time.” He informs her as he picks up the old book. He hands it to Nicole as he directs her to turn to a specific page. “Start here.” He instructs as Nicole squints in the low light to read the faded handwritten script of someone’s journal, obviously written many decades ago.

**_18 April 1867_ **

**_Purgatory, Ghost River Triangle_ **

**_“I told Wyatt not to mess with Clootie. Anyone who’d heard the rumors believed him to be not a servant of God but of the Devil himself. But Wyatt, being the man he is, couldn’t just let him and his crooked congregation come in and swallow up another town and its precious resources. So he did what every other man had feared doing, he confronted the reverend and his ‘clergy’. It ended in bloodshed, as most of these types of confrontations do, with the Reverend Clootie dying by Wyatt’s gun. It was also the beginning of the end for my dear friend as it seemed killing that particular agent of evil cost him and all his future kin a horrible price.”_ **

“What is this horrible price?” Nicole asks as she lifts her eyes off the page.

Just then a gust of wind comes through the cabin and they both turn to see a man, tall and thin with a bushy mustache and piercing, mischievous bright blue eyes. “Why, the Earp curse, ma’am. It’s as famous as Wyatt himself.”


	18. Of Sorts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Long time no see.

Nicole climbs off the ladder and picks it up to close it, leaning it near the front door. She comes back to inspect her work, making sure the light is straight and then flips the switch to make sure she wired it correctly. She turns around right into the barrel of a gun and her eyes go wide. She has no time to act shocked or even move, so she stands stock still, waiting to see what the stranger wants.

At the cocking of the hammer, she slows her breathing, concentrating on staying in human form. She continues to wait as the woman with the crystal blue eyes and long dark hair regards her suspiciously.

“Who the fuck are you?” She asks, eyes cold and serious.

“I’m… Nicole.” She states evenly, slowly.

“Your name means nothing to me. What are you doing in my home.” Her hand is steady, even though that gun must weigh a lot. Nicole swallows hard, trying to figure out an answer that won’t get her killed.

“I.. I was helping Curtis fix the place up. For Waverly.” She answers, trying to glean any information from the brunette’s eyes that would indicate she wasn’t about to die.

“Waverly asked you to fix this place up?” She asks, her skepticism obvious and the gun still pointed at Nicole’s face, unwavering.

“No, Curtis asked me to and we worked on it together. Waverly doesn’t know. He said she needed it soon though.”

At that, the woman lowers the gun as if she never had any intention of using it at all. She lets it swing casually next to her side for a moment before tossing it onto the newly cleaned couch.

“Curtis. Goddamnit.” She breathes out with a slow shake of her head. She looks back up at Nicole. “I’m Wynonna, Waverly’s sister.” She says nonchalantly as she walks past Nicole, letting out a low whistle.

“You guys really fixed up the place. It looks livable now.” She says as she makes her way slowly through the living room into the kitchen and then the dining room.

“You’re here for Curtis’ service?” Nicole asks as she follows the woman, from a safe distance, stopping when Wynonna does.

“Yep. They said he died of a heart attack. I know its bullshit. What do you know about his death?” She asks. It’s a casual tone, but Nicole knows it’s anything but a casual prompt. She feels like this is a test.

“It wasn’t a heart attack.” She replies, her face slack and unreadable to the middle Earp sister.

The brunette stares at the alpha, measuring. Her eyes squint for a moment and then turn away, but her attention is still very much on the redhead.

“What did he tell you before he died?” She asks slowly.

“He said to warn you all that _he_ was coming.” Nicole states, eyes fixed on Wynonna. “I’m assuming you know who _he_ is.”

The brunette visibly tenses before shaking her head slowly. “I was hoping that was just a bullshit story my father told us to get us to behave. Even after I watched six men with glowing red eyes drag my oldest sister out of the house and shoot my father in the back as he tried to run away.” Her eyes move around the downstairs back to Nicole’s and fix on the newly repaired front door, reliving the memory for a moment before she takes in a deep sharp breath and looks at Nicole with a comically resigned shrug.

“You didn’t happen to find an old Colt Buntline Special lying around here did you?”

…

 

“He loved this dress.” Gus says with a sad smile as she looks at herself in the full-length mirror. She couldn’t bring herself to wear the customary black. It just felt wrong.

“He did. Always said you were the prettiest girl in the room when you’d wear it.” Waverly smiles as she smoothes the shoulders out a bit. She lightly grasps her aunt’s arms. “You ready?” She asks quietly.

Gus gives herself a quick nod and reaches up to pat her niece’s hand. “Let’s go.

 

The service consisted of Waverly, Gus, Nedley and Nicole. Most people in Purgatory loved Curtis and would eventually come and pay their respects in some way, but funerals in Purgatory were always small, solemn, family affairs. There were so many, people would hardly get anything done if they attended all of them.

Nicole moved her eyes furtively towards the ranch driveway, looking for any sign of Wynonna. She didn’t think the woman had let anyone know she was in town and her hunch was right when both Gus and Waverly took turns expressing their disappointment that she didn’t come. All she’d sent was a _‘thanks for letting me know’_ email.

It had been on the tip of Nicole’s tongue, but she stopped short of telling the women, thinking it wasn’t her place. She’d also been nervous and scared upon seeing them for the first time since that night, but Nedley of all people came to get her from the cabin, not telling her where he was taking her until they turned off the main road and onto the road that took them to the McCready’s.

_“Sir, I can’t…” She says, panicking enough to think about jumping out of the cruiser._

_“They are hurting and sad Nicole, but they know it wasn’t your fault.” He says, turning soft, kind eyes to her. “They knew that even before the cursory investigation started. And Juan Carlo told me everything. It is a known fact you didn’t kill Curtis, okay?” He says gently._

_She looks at him for a long moment. She doubts Juan Carlo told him ‘everything’, but he obviously told him enough to convince the Sheriff of her innocence. The exoneration almost makes her breakdown in tears, but she holds back, nodding at him while swallowing the lump in her throat._

_Her tears were not able to be held back however when she exits the cruiser and sees Gus stand from her seat at the porch, looking gaunt and pale, but somehow managing a small, relieved smile when she sees Nicole._

_Nicole stays close to the cruiser door, torn between running up and taking the diminutive woman in her arms and begging forgiveness or running away to deal with the guilt of not being able to save Curtis by herself._

_Gus decides for her by moving down the stairs and not stopping until she has her arms around the tall redhead. They both begin to cry openly, Nicole’s body folding in around the older woman’s in big, body wracking sobs._

_“I’m so sorry, Gus.” She pushes out through uncontrolled tears and heartache. “I tried…”_

_“Shush, now. I know, Nicole, I know. It’s okay, honey, it’s okay.” The older woman soothes, whispering in the ear closest to her as Nicole drops her head down, wrapping her frame around the diminutive woman._

_She sees Waverly out of the corner of her eye as she lifts her head slightly at movement on the porch. When she pulls her head up a bit more to fully look at her, she’d already stepped back into the house, leaving Nicole to wonder where she stood with the omega._

_She didn’t have to wait long to her eternal relief for as soon as she follows Gus into the house, Waverly wraps herself around her tightly, pressing a kiss to the shape-shifter’s neck as tears new and old continue to cover their cheeks and chins._

_“Nicole. I’m so glad you are okay. I’m so glad you are here.” She breathes desperately and it’s all Nicole can do to keep herself and Waverly standing with the sheer relief she feels at Waverly’s words._

Nedley offers a few last words about Curtis and looks up briefly to see if Nicole would like to say anything being that she’s the only one not to speak. He twists his lips in sympathy when she can’t even make eye contact with him. Her cougar memories keep replaying in her mind after drifting from Wynonna and she’s having a hard time holding herself together.

When silence extends more than the Sheriff is comfortable with, he ambles down to one knee and grabs a handful of earth and slowly stands, letting it fall on top of Curtis’ grave. Each of them take turns wordlessly and then follow Gus’ lead when she turns back towards the house.

There’s plenty of dishes: casseroles, baked goods, soups that the townsfolk have brought by and Gus and Waverly automatically begin setting out place settings as Nedley and Nicole sit, knowing they’ll just be ushered out of the kitchen if they offer help anyway.

They are a few minutes into a silent, solemn meal when the door is unceremoniously thrown open and Wynonna pushes in a vest wearing, bushy mustached man wearing a worn but well cared for black hat and amused expression.

“Caught this asshat wondering around outside. Does he belong here?” She asks to no one in particular. She seems unsteady on her feet and almost immediately Nicole knows why as the smell of whiskey assails her nose.

“Wynonna?” Waverly squeaks out, her face registering shock, anger and joy all in quick succession. She doesn’t even notice her sister is holding a man dressed like he’s straight out of an old Western at gunpoint.

Nicole slowly stands and all eyes fall to her. Stone cold sober Wynonna had no qualms with stuffing a gun in her face. She was afraid to see what drunk Wynonna would do, so she decides to quickly vouch for the man, knowing the act is about to set everything off in motion. She hopes Juan Carlo is right and she _is_ ready for this.  She prays they all will be, especially with the help of the mustachioed man in Wynonna's grasp.

“Uh, that’s Doc Holliday. Wyatt Earp… sent him. He’s your guardian angel of sorts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have 2 ideas for another story floating around in my head. I'm a supremely shitty multitasker so I'll be finishing this one before starting another. But I need your help... Which should I go with: The epic one about the Klondike Gold Rush with Nicole posing as a man to stake a claim and ending up partnering up with Champ, who has a beautiful, feisty new wife named Waverly? Or a Season 3 canon-like WayHaught heavy episodic where I take the story line where I want with all the players? 
> 
> I guess the most votes will win... :)


	19. Formidable Ally

“Wait, THE Doc Holliday?” Wynonna snorts incredulously. “No fucking way.”

“I am indeed, Ms. Earp.” He says with a sideways grin and tip of his hat. Wynonna rolls her eyes but puts her gun down nonetheless. Waverly rushes to her, enveloping her in a tight hug.

“How about we give them some time.” Nicole suggests, wanting to shield Nedley from any curse talk. The man knew something was about to happen, but he also knew it was not his battle. The less he knew about it, the better. He cared deeply about Gus and Earps and would do what he could to help them, but he knew his place was to protect the ordinary citizens of Purgatory. He had to be alive to do that.

“You came.” Waverly says quietly, eyes misting as they quickly register Nicole and Nedley slipping out of the dining room. Wynonna’s eyes soften for just a moment, especially when they land on Gus who is slowly getting out of her seat.

“Wynonna.” She greets and the distant formality of her tone makes Wynonna wince. She pulls out of Waverly’s arms and closes the distance, awkwardly hugging the woman who time and time again welcomes her back, no matter how long she’s been gone. She knows she’s been gone too long though and it took someone to die to bring her back.

“I’m sorry about Curtis.” Wynonna whispers. She feels Gus nod as she pulls out of her embrace.

“Thanks, honey. Although the circumstances are horrible, I’m glad you’re home. Waverly needs you.” She says pointedly. Gus doesn’t know the details or really exactly what this curse business is that involves her nieces, but she knows it caused her beloved’s death and she’d be damned if she wouldn’t do all she could to make sure the responsible ones paid for what they did to her husband. And she’d do whatever she could to protect these girls.

Wynonna nods and then turns back to Doc. “Start talking.” She demands with a skeptical squint as they all sit down. But before Doc can explain exactly why he’s there, Wynonna busies herself by pulling over a plate and piling it with food. She stops when she feels eyes on her.

“What? I’m starving.” She shrugs. She picks up again filling her plate only to stop once again and look at Holliday. “Do guardian angels eat?” She asks him, genuinely curious.

“I do have all the normal proclivities of the livin’.” He says, looking over the spread on the table.

“Help yourself.” Gus prompts, still eyeing him in mild disbelief.

He nods his thanks and picks up a plate, piling it high. The four of them tuck into their food silently for a few moments, looking up when the door opens and Nicole comes in with a small, polite smile.

“Sheriff Nedley had to head back to the station. He’ll stop by later tonight to see how you are all holding up.” She announces. She stands awkwardly at the door until Waverly tells her to come back and finish eating with them.

Wynonna watches her carefully as she continues eating, wondering what has earned this stranger a seat at her family’s table. She seems to know a hell of a lot and its making her almost as uncomfortable as sitting across from her long-dead great grandfather’s best friend who is apparently an.. “Are you really an angel?” She asks, swinging her attention to the man as he wipes off some gravy from his bushy mustache.

“I am. Not like Waverly, here, but I am.” He says with a kind smile at the brunette. Everyone at the table tenses at hearing the words spoken aloud. They never talk about it and Nicole hadn’t realized that _is_ what Waverly is on account of her powers.

“I reside in a peaceful paradise when I’m not summoned by Wyatt to do his bidding. He is unable to leave… where he presently resides.” He reports, eyes downcast and tone revealing deep sadness and concern. “I come willing to help break this curse once and for all, not only for Wyatt, but for you ladies as well.” He says earnestly, looking Waverly and Wynonna in the eye.

“Well, good. I’m really fucking tired of this hanging over my head.” Wynonna says with a sharp sigh as she sits back into her chair with a bit of force, throwing her napkin onto her empty plate.

“What will be expected of us?” Waverly asks, voice small and wavering. She thinks back to the glimpse she got of Curtis’ body. Knowing the things that did that to him are coming after her family scare her beyond the telling.

“Clootie has an army. The ‘clergy’ of men that Wyatt and I dispatched along with him are part of the curse. There’s about 30 of them. They must all be sent back to hell using Wyatt’s gun.” Doc begins. “I guess the problem will be getting all of them with the one gun….” He breaks off, already pondering solutions in his mind.

“Is it true only I can shoot the damn thing? Because I’m the oldest living heir? I mean, do we even know? We’re not even sure what really happened to Willa. She could still be out there…” Wynonna says, surprised when she feels Waverly’s hand on hers. She looks up at her with sympathetic, understanding eyes and Wynonna gives reaches her other hand over Waverly’s, giving it a small squeeze.

“Bulshar, Clootie’s demon name, has to kill both of you to lift the curse for he and his army. If he succeeds, they go back to their human forms, but their souls will still remain black and twisted. What’s worse is they’ll be unbound from the Ghost River Triangle and free to roam where they please.” Doc redirects, his eyes going between Waverly and Wynonna. “As to the question of Willa, I can answer that…” He says slowly. His eyes drop down again and it’s all the information they need. Waverly covers her mouth and chokes back a sob as Nicole gets out of her seat and puts an arm around her, eyes soft and wet. Wynonna simply nods, face unreadable.

“When?” She asks mechanically.

“Almost immediately. Bulshar wanted to use her for information to lure you two out. He figured you’d be easy pickings as young girls. She refused and he killed her in a rage.” Doc says his face twisted in anger.

“How did they get onto the Homestead to begin with?” Nicole asks, surprising everyone with the question.

“An accident. One corrected by Curtis once I was allowed to make him aware.” Doc tells them with a knowing nod to Nicole.

“It was you.” Gus says suddenly, standing, fire in her eyes. “You were the one communicating with Curtis. You foretold his death to him, didn’t you? Told him to get the homestead ready?” She says, her teeth clenched in poorly contained anger.

Doc looks up at her and raises his hands in supplication. “I let him know, yes. What he chose to do with that information was his choice. I am merely a vessel which Wyatt uses to pass on information, no more no less, I’m afraid.”

“The Homestead?” Waverly asks, looking to Nicole for confirmation.

“Curtis came to me and told me we had to get it ready.” Nicole answers quickly. When she sees Waverly’s eyes narrow in confusion then widen in anger she preempts, “He told me not to tell you at the time. It seemed very important to him.” She says, eyes pleading for forgiveness.

Waverly decides to address that later, and turns back to Doc. “So why are you here? What is it Wyatt wants us to know?” Waverly tries to redirect, putting aside the fact Curtis knew what was going to happen to him.

“To tell you why this is happening now and what you can do about it. The Homestead is now again protected. When Curtis began fixing up the Homestead, he dug something out of the ground put there by Waverly when she was very young. She was tricked into burying an ammonite stone on the property. Because of this move by Bulshar, Wyatt was able to buy time for you girls, enough to where you’d be older and better equip to fight him.”

“Wynonna’s 27th birthday.” Nicole says, remembering the late passage in the book. Everyone looks at her, waiting for her to continue. She pushes out of her chair and goes to her coat, pulling out a small, leather-bound book.

Wynonna snatches it out of her hand, looking from her to the book in utter shock. “This was daddy’s. He had it in his nightstand. Gave me a thorough whipping when he saw I had gotten it out.” She says, opening it up and flipping through the pages. She remembers returning to the homestead a couple of years after her father died to look for it, knowing it was important to him. She couldn’t find it anywhere. She looks up at Nicole. “How the hell did _you_ get it?”

“Juan Carlo had it. It was Wyatt’s and then it was passed on…” She begins, but is cut off by Doc, but not unkindly.

“This was Wyatt’s travel journal. After he died, I added what details I knew of the curse. I handed it down to Wyatt’s son, Jacob with strict instructions to pass it down the family line along with the Homestead…”

“And that’s how your dad had it.” Nicole adds. “When your dad died and you and Waverly went to live with Gus, Juan Carlo knew he had to keep it safe for you.”

Doc gently takes the book from Wynonna’s hand and flips to a page. “I was able to communicate with Juan Carlo after your dad’s death and he added the part about Wyatt being granted a request because of Clootie ‘cheating’ the curse by having Waverly bury the ammonite. Clootie could do nothing until Wynonna’s 27th birthday.”

Wynonna’s jaw tenses as she takes all this information in. She’d hoped being away would somehow erase this curse, this burden that had been put squarely on her shoulders. But she realizes she can’t escape it. She’s going to have to deal with it and it makes her bone burning angry.

All she wants to do is go to Curtis cabinet, the one at the back of the hall with the skeleton key on the top, open it up and take the big, potent bottle of aged whiskey she knows is still in there, get on her motorcycle and keep on riding. Out of Purgatory, out of this hell she was born into.

But then she looks at Waverly, scared but brave, ready to fight. Her eyes wander over to the tall, enigmatic redhead standing slightly behind her sister, pain, anxiety and concern rolling off her in waves, instantly finding a focus for her anger and frustration at her situation.

“Where the hell do you fit in in all this? Huh? How do we know you aren’t some Clootie spy? How do you know all this stuff so well?” She spits, taking purposeful, aggressive strides until she’s right in Nicole’s face, forcing her to step away from Waverly.

“Wynonna.” Waverly tries to get her sister to back down, but Wynonna shakes her hand off her shoulder.

“No! Who the fuck are you!?” She says, shoving Nicole in the shoulder, hard.

“Wynonna!” Waverly shouts in alarm. She gets between Nicole and her sister. “She’s here because of me, leave her alone!”

Nicole puts a steady hand on Waverly’s shoulder and Waverly instantly covers it with her own. She breathes a sigh of relief at how easy it seems for Nicole to control her shift, even when Wynonna shoved her.

“Your sister and I have only known each other a short time, that’s true. But I’d do anything for her. She’s special.” Nicole says, turning her attention completely to Waverly as she looks down at her with a small, earnest smile. She then looks up at Wynonna again, knowing that part of the answer won’t satisfy the woman. “It also seems my kin have had run ins with the same kind of cursed souls. They killed my entire family when I was young. As luck, or fate, would have it, I drifted into town not too long ago and caught the attention of Juan Carlo and the Order.” Nicole says, her tone acerbic.

Wynonna rolls her eyes and lets out a humorless bark of laughter. “Oh god, those guys. Fucking nutballs. They think they’re the new age Knights of the Round Table or something.”

“Yes, they are something.” Nicole concurs, bristling at their crude tactics. “They and Juan Carlo are convinced I can be helpful in the fight against Clootie.” She says, looking at Waverly who registers surprise before turning her focus on Wynonna again. “I’m a shape-shifter. And based on what Juan Carlo told me about this necklace, a very unique one.” She says as she pulls out the necklace from around her neck she’s been carrying around since her grandfather gave it to her.

There’s a slight gasp and all the women turn to Doc who comes to stand in front of Nicole, eyes wide with recognition.

“The Panther’s Claw.” He says in reverence, reaching for it hesitantly. Nicole gives him a slight nod and he takes it from her fingers, rubbing his thumb over it gently as he remembers the last time he saw it and who was wearing it.

“Well, then indeed we have a formidable ally in this fight.” He grins, eyes dancing with a newfound confidence.

 

 

 

 

 


	20. Let Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, a bit of smut warning. This was a hard chapter to write. Feedback will be appreciated!

“You and Curtis did this. For us.” Waverly says quietly as she looks around the homestead, her eyes going from the barn to the small garden, chicken coop and finally to the house itself. She couldn’t believe the two had accomplished so much and without her even knowing.

“He said you would need to live here, to keep you safe.” Nicole shrugs slightly, her tone matter-of-fact, but her expression making Waverly feel a warmth bloom in her chest.

“I’ve wanted to fix this place up for years. Even with all the bad memories. It’s home.” She says, struggling to keep her tears in check. She’s afraid to speak any more words as her emotions begin to take hold. She begins to walk towards the house, stopping for a moment to look back at Nicole. “Show me?” She asks, barely audible.

“Of course.” Nicole smiles warmly. “Let’s start in the barn.”

 

Nicole takes her through it all, pointing out things they were able to save, reuse and repurpose. “Curtis said you’d always wanted a large vegetable garden and chickens.” Nicole says, pausing as she rests her hand on the smooth wooden handle on the gate Curtis had built to keep the chickens from roaming into the garden. She silently recalls the day they’d worked on it, wishing more than anything that Curtis was here to see it all complete. She snaps back to the present when she feels Waverly’s eyes on her and pushes the gate open, leading Waverly over to the neat rows of raised boxes with soil already in them, ready to plant. “All the chicken coop needs is chickens now.” Nicole grins as she walks to the opposite corner and opens the little doors that will make grabbing eggs easy.

Waverly nods and gives her a sweet smile. “I cannot wait.”

As they’ve gone along, she’s pulled herself together a bit more, leaving her self room to just appreciate how much work Nicole and Curtis put into the homestead.

But when they get to the house and she really sees the care, the love they put into fixing up the inside, her eyes begin to fill with tears.

“Hey, are you alright?” Nicole asks as she comes into Waverly’s space, hesitating only a second before she wraps her up in her arms. Waverly rests her forehead on Nicole’s collarbone, soaking up her warmth. Her attention quickly begins to shift from herself to Nicole when she feels this sense of overwhelming pain and guilt coming from the taller woman.

She slowly raises her head to look into Nicole’s eyes seeing nothing but concern. _For her_. It’s too much and before she can even think it all the way through, she tilts her head up as she pulls Nicole’s head down for a deep kiss.

She pulls away, eyes never leaving Nicole’s and grabs her hand, leading her up to where her bedroom used to be.

The climb up the stairs is short and Waverly uses the time to half-think about what she’s about to do. She hears Gus’ voice of reason but quickly pushes it away. She wants this, and she thinks Nicole will too.

She smiles and a lump forms in her throat all over again when she pushes the door open and takes in the detail of the new curtains, the new bed and nightstands, the small desk under the window.

“Curtis wanted it all ready for you just to come in and start living here. I hope you like the color…” Is all Nicole is able to get out before Waverly’s lips found hers once again, this time with such force, passion and desperation Nicole has to put her hands on Waverly’s waist to keep from pitching over.

Her surprise at the kiss is short-lived as her body begins to respond and she feels herself pouring out all of her emotions into the kiss, now punctuated with sighs and gasps as they both begin tugging at clothing as their lips and tongues press together, desperate for connection.

Nicole breaks away breathless, looking into Waverly’s unfocused eyes with clear ones.

“Waverly, you sure?” She asks, her hand still tangled in the small brunette’s hair.

She merely nods and is rising up to capture Nicole’s lips once again before Nicole can have another thought about what they are about to do. Instead, she lifts the smaller woman and as Waverly’s legs go around her hips, she takes the couple of steps to the bed, laying her down gently.

“Come here.” Waverly whispers with a smile when she sees a flash of hesitation on Nicole’s face. She begins to unbutton her shirt, revealing a lovely lace bra that presses her full breasts up and out. Nicole watches intently as more smooth skin is revealed and when Waverly’s shirt falls open, she moves to cover the brunette omega’s body with her own, trying to take most of her weight on an elbow as their legs entwine.

Instead of picking up where they left off though, the whole tone of the encounter shifts and instead of taking Waverly’s lips with her own, Nicole lays her head down upon Waverly’s chest, feeling her heart beat, strong and steady.

Waverly smiles and strokes the shape-shifter’s hair for a moment, kissing the top of her head. Her hand roams from her hair to the nape of her neck and then stretches under her collar as she caresses her spine.

“I want to see all of you, Nicole.” She says, bringing her head up off the pillow so she can murmur her request next to the red-head’s ear. Nicole waits while Waverly withdraws her hand from her shirt and sits up, wordlessly disrobing until she’s naked and standing somewhat nervously in front of Waverly who has since sat up.

Propping herself up on her elbows, she starts at Nicole’s face, smiling at the timid look in her eyes. She moves down her chest taking in her small, round breasts with perfect pink nipples and her long smooth torso down to the apex of her thighs. It is there that Waverly’s brows furrow before she can school her outward surprise.

Nicole can’t help but chuckle lightly at the adorably confused pout on the omega’s face.

“Remember, I’m a shape-shifter.” She gently reminds as she closes in on Waverly, coming to stand between her legs as Waverly sits up fully still drinking in her lithe, pale, beautiful form, albeit with a continuing confused expression.

Nicole puts a finger under Waverly’s chin so she can look into those beautiful hazel eyes. “You notice that I have done quite well in controlling my shift.” She gestures down to her very female-looking genitalia. “But when I’m in rut, you’ll definitely know it. When you are in heat, I’ll definitely be able to satisfy you. _That’s_ the benefit of being a two-spirit as well.” Nicole says in a low, sultry yet smug tone.

Waverly nods, never taking her eyes off of Nicole as she reaches her hands up around Nicole’s waist, moving slowly up her sides and cupping her breasts. She squeezes gently and licks her lips as Nicole’s head tilts back almost violently and she lets out something between a gasp and a moan.

Waverly takes the opportunity to wrap her lips and tongue around a stiff nipple, making Nicole’s head snap back down. Her hands go to Waverly’s hair and she pulls at it lightly until Waverly looks up at her, lips still attached to a pert, pink nipple.

There’s an unasked question in Nicole’s eyes and they stare at each other for another second before one of Waverly’s hands takes one of Nicole’s and places it on her bra strap. Nicole gets the hint quickly and reaches behind, undoing the clasp. Waverly releases her nipple with a pop and slides out of her bra, underwear and joggers as she slips up the bed. Nicole follows her and lies down next to her. They position themselves side by side and Waverly places a hand low on Nicole’s hip as she presses her body against Nicole’s, taking her in a fiery, all consuming kiss that has Nicole clamping down on her instinct to shift.

She pulls the omega in close against her, vaguely aware of Waverly’s hand snaking in between them and entering her. Nicole breaks the kiss in surprise as Waverly works a finger deliberately and deliciously through her slickened folds.

“Is this okay?” Waverly asks quietly, her fingers never stopping.

Nicole cannot find words, she just nods and closes her eyes, hips beginning to move in time with Waverly’s fingers. It’s as if Waverly has cast a spell on her as she opens herself up to the omega. Their foreheads come together and they begin breathing in the same air, lips and noses ghosting over each other in a rhythm that matches their lower bodies.

Nicole begins to feel the beginnings of an intense orgasm, but something else is happening too. She begins to feel her heart lighten and a warmth blossom in her chest. Her eyes open slightly in surprise as an incredible sense of peace and simple, pure joy envelope her entire being. It’s as if all her cumulative pain and guilt and even sorrow are being erased with every thrust of Waverly’s fingers. She feels powerless to question or stop what’s happening, she’s just so overwhelmed with all these sensations going on simultaneously.

“Let go.” She hears Waverly whisper against her lips and as if Waverly has total command over her body and soul, she does and her body convulses violently as a loud, throaty growl rips from her lungs.

She rides Waverly’s fingers, chasing that sensation of floating and falling all at the same time until her heart begins to calm as well as her breathing.

When her eyes open, she sees a wane smile on Waverly’s lips and as Nicole sits up in concern, blood begins to pour from Waverly’s nose.

“Waverly.” She gets out in concern, her voice hoarse from just a few seconds ago. She pulls out of the omega’s grasp and frantically looks for something to help staunch the flow of blood.

She races back with a towel and puts it to Waverly’s nose.

“Hey, what happened?” Nicole asks, her brows furrowed in worry.

“I’m okay. This happens when…” Waverly stops abruptly and closes her eyes as a sharp pain rolls through her head.

“When what happens, Waverly? Sex?” Nicole asks, her worry growing as Waverly seems to be getting worse.

“No, not…” She whispers out. She swallows thickly as she lays her head back down on the pillow.

“Sit up so you don’t swallow blood.” Nicole says, helping the brunette into a sitting position.

She leans her head heavily against Nicole’s shoulder and she can feel the rapid heartbeat of the shape-shifter through her skin.

“I’ll be fine in a bit.” She says, her voice muffled from the towel.

Nicole continues to look at her with grave concern until Waverly knows she needs to come clean before Nicole seeks medical help.

“I.. used my abilities.” She says, looking up into bright, worried eyes.

“When? Just now with me?” Nicole asks, the worry quickly turning into confusion, then disbelief.

“You were in so much pain… and the guilt. I couldn’t help but see…” Waverly begins to explain but Nicole cuts her off.

“Is that why you brought me up here and had sex with me? To erase my pain?” Nicole asks, voice cracking, distraught.

“I’m sorry…” Waverly says weakly.

“Sorry about what? That you seduced me? Tricked me into taking something away from me you had no right to without permission?” Nicole growls as she slides off the bed with lightening speed and begins grabbing her clothes.

“I couldn’t stand to see you so guilt-ridden…” Waverly responds, eyes wide with panic as she begins to realize what a huge mistake she’s made.

“Those were _my_ feelings, Waverly! You had no right to just erase them!” Nicole shouts. She feels violated and can’t believe Waverly would do something like this.

“I know… I know. I should have asked. But I hate people I care about being in pain and I _know_ you don’t deserve to feel guilt over Curtis.” Waverly defends weakly. They stare at each other for a moment but Waverly looks away when a feeling of intense nausea overcomes her. She scoots off the bed and Nicole releases the breath she’s been holding, ready to just run out of the house and not look back. But the sound of Waverly retching into the toilet has her feet moving towards the bathroom and she’s holding back Waverly’s hair as she finishes emptying her stomach.

“Is this what happens all the time?” Nicole asks after Waverly has sat back against the tub, wiping her mouth with the bloody towel still clutched in her hand. She looks up at Nicole with weary, sad, bloodshot eyes, crusted blood around her nose and upper lip and vomit in her hair and Nicole cannot help but feel an overwhelming sense of compassion for the omega.

“Only when I perform it on people who mean a lot to me…but never this intense.” Waverly admits tiredly. She rests the back of her head on the tub and takes in a few deep breaths through her nose.

She tilts her head slightly to look at Nicole. “I am sorry, Nicole. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry I betrayed your trust in me.”

Nicole looks at her for a long moment and Waverly can tell she’s trying to decide whether to forgive her or not.

“Was there another way you could have done that? Without having sex with me?” Nicole asks.

Waverly’s heart sinks at the smallness in Nicole’s voice. She turns fully so she’s facing the red-head.

“There is another way, but I really did have an overwhelming urge to touch you. To be intimate with you. I still do.” She says the last sentence quietly, while breaking eye contact and looking down. She knows she has no right to expect Nicole to acquiesce.

When Nicole doesn’t respond, Waverly looks up, waiting quietly when she sees Nicole in thought. She sucks in a breath when Nicole gets up, wiping her hands on her jeans. Waverly’s head ducks down again, knowing Nicole is going to say goodbye. She can’t bear to see the disappointment in the shape-shifter’s eyes anymore.

Instead of hearing footsteps though, she hears water running and then a fingertip lifting her chin.

“Come here, let’s get you cleaned up and back into bed.” Nicole says as she begins to clean her face. Waverly closes her eyes, but can feel the warm, caring stare as she works to wipe away the blood and vomit with infinite gentleness. When she’s finished, she tosses the cloth into the sink and puts an arm under Waverly’s knees and an arm around her back, lifting her up effortlessly. A tear of relief finds its way out of Waverly’s eye as she rests her head against Nicole’s chest, too weak and in pain to do much else. She feels herself being set down slowly and covered carefully with a blanket. When she doesn’t feel the bed dip with Nicole’s weight, panic sets in and Waverly’s eyes shoot open.

“Nicole?” Waverly says, voice scared, apprehensive.

“I’m going to go lock up and then I’ll be back.” She says with a small reassuring smile.

Waverly nods and lays her head back down, asleep before she hears Nicole’s footsteps down the stairs and out the door.


	21. I'll Be Damned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back in the writing groove. Yay!

Waverly wakes with a start, her heart racing and tears in her eyes. She takes a deep breath as she tries to clear away the last sight she saw in her nightmare of her uncle being slashed open again and again as she looked on helpless. She puts a hand to her heart as feelings of guilt and soul crushing sadness hit her in wave after wave. She cries out for a moment as she lets the feelings wash over her, hoping they’ll fade in a few minutes, like with the other times she’s done a soul healing.

She turns in bed, looking for the shape-shifter, heartbroken but not surprised when she runs her hand over cold sheets. She knows that Nicole never came back and she can’t blame her. She really fucked up and isn’t sure how she can fix it.

She tosses the blanket off of her naked form and hugs herself, anguishing over the visions of her nightmare as they come back to the forefront of her mind. She knows they are Nicole’s, and her nightmare was what Nicole saw or imagined she saw the night of Curtis’ death. There were other visions she’d had during her nightmare, of people she didn’t know, all being killed as well, but she knew they were Nicole’s family. She lies back down as she continues to be caught up in the darkness and for a moment she fears she’s done too much. She’s never had these intense after-effects and it is beginning to scare her. She curls up in a ball and begins to weep. She weeps for Nicole and what she’s experienced, she weeps for the loss of the shape-shifter’s trust, she weeps for herself and what her life is about to become.

…

The rabbit’s heart beat slows to a stop and the cougar watches, mouth filled with the metallic tang of blood, human anger replaced by animal hunger as she rips into it’s flesh, swallowing large chunks whole and crushing the small bones with strong, bright white teeth.

She keeps raising her head, a familiar scent pulling at her attention. She tries to ignore it as she finishes her meal, but the scent keeps getting stronger. Stronger, until she can no longer ignore it. She hisses her annoyance but turns nonetheless and trots back to the house, rounding it and sitting down under the lone second story windows and cocking her head, listening to human whimpers and cries. She takes a long leap up to the small pitch out roof right under the windows and makes another small jump to the sill, slipping her feline body gracefully through the half open window.

The human is facing away from her but she can smell the distress coming from her. She walks around the bed and makes a mewling sound that finally catches the attention of the human as the cougar sits down and stares over the top of the bed.

Waverly’s eyes open at the strange sound and she’s immediately taken aback by the sight of a cougar staring at her from the other side of the bed. Her first instinct is to jump out of bed and run screaming, but she knows that might get her killed. Then she remembers.

“Nicole?” She asks in a whisper, afraid to move or breathe.

The cat stands and takes a graceful, noiseless leap up to the bed and immediately begins to turn in circles, like a house cat finding a comfortable spot. The mattress springs creak and whine under the weight of the cat and Waverly has since stopped breathing as she watches in petrified fascination.

The big cat settles, lying down and curling its long tail around its head, not six inches from Waverly’s hip. When it is apparent that the big cat is asleep, it’s ribs rising and falling with long, slow breaths, Waverly starts to breathe again too. She slowly, tentatively reaches a hand out and rests it on the cat’s shoulder. When it doesn’t even flinch, she moves her fingers lower, over its side to its hip bone and back up, fingers sliding through stiff but soft red-gold fur. She gasps quietly as the cougar begins to purr in its sleep.

She smiles warmly despite her lingering fear and the feelings of pain and sorrow still very much present within herself. But they are beginning to dissipate and Waverly can see a light at the end of the very dark tunnel as she stares down at the resting cougar.

As sleep beckons her back into its embrace, she lies down, cautiously slipping closer to the cougar the front of her torso is wrapped around the cougar’s rounded spine, lying her arm across its ribs, letting the rhythm of its breathing lull her back to sleep.

 

Waverly wakes to the sound of the birds singing and the sun streaming through the open window. She pulls back in shock as she’s still wrapped around the quietly sleeping cougar.

She’s relieved when she realizes the darkness she took from Nicole is no longer the oppressive presence it was a few hours ago. She feels better, if not all the way back to her normal self. She is beyond comforted in the fact that Nicole had stuck around albeit in cougar form and there’s also a stab of concern when she considers that it _was_ the cougar that came to her last night in her distress. Nicole seems unwilling or perhaps unable to shift back to her human form.

“Nicole?” She calls out tentatively, rubbing the big cat’s fur with some purpose. The cougar unfurls its tail and to Waverly’s surprised amusement, rolls over on its back and stretches out its muscled, long limbs animatedly. She giggles and before she can think better of it, scratches the cat’s furry chest vigorously like you would a playful puppy.

The cougar raises its head and lets out a playful growl before flipping over with deadly speed and standing on the bed until it hovers over Waverly. She backs up, eyes wide and stays stock still as the animal regards her with calm, golden eyes.

“Please let me earn your trust back.” She says to the cougar. Something akin to recognition or consideration falls over the cougar’s expression and Waverly shakes her head in mild disbelief at what she just witnessed.

The big cat huffs adorably then and lowers its head, bumping Waverly’s chest lightly. Before Waverly can raise her hand to touch its head though, it jumps over her, landing silently on the ground and then is out the window without a look back.

Waverly, not one to back down or give up, quickly gets dressed all the while watching where the cougar is heading, determined to make things right between her and Nicole and let her know exactly how she feels about the shape-shifter. The fact that Nicole came to her, even in cougar form, has her optimistic.

...

It was a strange sensation, going to a human and having such a sense of familiarity and security in her cougar form. She had realized during her last shift that she is developing a sort of cognition, almost like that of a child while in her animal form. She still recognized danger and safety, just like any other animal, but along with that, a simple understanding of human emotions and distress. The human she’d just curled up with for a few hours she knew had become very important to her, yet she didn’t fully trust in her.

And then she spoke words to her that she found herself understanding as well. She realizes that this was what Juan Carlo was trying to get her to discover within herself. A bridge of consciousness between her human and animal form.

When she’d first shifted after going downstairs and locking up, it was out of pure frustration. She didn’t want to leave the omega unprotected, even if she was on Earp property, but she didn’t want to feel the hurt and disappointment any longer. She thought shifting into cougar form and going on a hunt would be the best solution. A respite from her complicated human emotions.

So she shifted and immediately hit on the scent trail of a rabbit. She took her time, following the scent for close to two hours before finally giving chase. But another scent wasn’t too far behind and her very being felt compelled to follow it, knowing she could bring comfort to the owner of that scent.

And now as she sniffs the early morning air, ready to finally shift back into human form, she’s hit on another scent, but it is more of a sensation than a smell. I kind of vibration almost, calling out to her. She follows it, without much sense of urgency, especially when the familiar scent from the human is closing in on her. She slows down to a trot so the human can follow her.

She eventually leads them to a well not too far from the homestead, hidden by bushes and a tall tree stump. It is here she sits and waits for the human.

“Nicole. I need you to shift, please. I want to talk to you.” Waverly says through rushed puffs of air.

Suddenly, the cat’s eyes and face begin to change: limbs lengthen, spine stretches as hair recedes and smooth, pale skin begins to be exposed. Waverly’s saucer wide eyes follow the shift, body part by body part until she comes to Nicole’s face just in time to watch the last whiskers retract.

“Waverly.” She says in a scratchy whisper. She clears her throat and tries again. “Waverly.” She says tightly as the human emotions return along with her human form.

“You came to me in cougar form. You curled right up next to me and slept on the bed.” Waverly starts, hoping that will prove something to Nicole. “Do you remember that?” She asks as she hands Nicole her clothes, her head ducked to preserve her modesty.

Nicole looks at Waverly for a second, touched at her thoughtfulness. “Thank you.” She says quietly as she sets her clothes upon the edge of the well. She begins to pull on her bra and underwear as she recollects sensations, flashes of memory, putting together the pieces of when she was in her cougar form. She's about to ask exactly what happened and how her cougar form acted when she lets out a gasp as she sees her necklace slip out of her jeans pocket and fall down into the well. “Fuck!” She yells in desperation as she watches it spin and swirl until darkness envelopes it. She listens for a splash, but hears nothing. Both she and Waverly look at each other and then down into the well.

“There’s rope in the barn. I’m going to go get it.” Nicole says as she hurriedly pulls up her pants and throws on her shirt. She begins to take off when Waverly calls after her.

“Your boots.” She says and walks the few feet, handing them to her. Nicole quickly nods her thanks and takes off, leaving Waverly to stand guard over the well and the necklace.

 

A few moments later, Nicole returns with a scrap of two by four and shouldering some nylon rope. Under her arm she has a pair of gloves and a flashlight.

“Hold these please.” Nicole instructs as she hands Waverly the flashlight and gloves. Waverly dutifully takes them from her and watches as Nicole ties a utility knot around the two by four and puts it across the well. She holds out her hand for the glove and flashlight, but Waverly hesitates.

“Let’s see if we can see the bottom first, please.” Waverly says with a look of worry. She leans over and turns on the flashlight, aiming it down the well. Sure enough, it is dirt, about 30 feet down from Nicole’s estimation. She sees the metal of the necklace chain catch the light.

“There!” She says with audible relief as she points down to it. She grabs the gloves from Waverly and takes the flashlight out of her hand, shoving it into her back pocket.

“Hey.” Waverly says, taking Nicole’s hand to still her. “It isn’t going anywhere. Take your time and be careful. I’ll help pull you up.” She says in a way that Nicole knows not to argue.

“Okay.” She says and climbs over the rim, bracing herself as she gets a good grip on the rope and slowly begins lowering herself down, using her feet against the well walls to help ease her down. Waverly watches intently, sucking in a breath when she hears rather than sees Nicole slip a bit.

“I’m fine.” Nicole calls up, voice a bit strained. Waverly listens for the sound of her boots hitting the ground, sighing in relief when she hears a dull thud. She then sees the beam of light and watches as Nicole picks up her necklace, putting it on immediately. She sees the light swing around the small interior of the well and asks what’s going on when it stops on a spot for a few seconds.

“Can you throw down a screwdriver from the barn? It’s hanging up to the right of the door. There’s a loose stone with Wyatt’s brand carved into it.”

Waverly takes off at a jog, retrieving the screwdriver but only dropping it down when Nicole swears it won’t impale her in the head. She carefully drops it down the opposite side Nicole is standing and waits to hear what she’s discovered.

“I’ll be damned.” She hears her call out.

“What is it?” Waverly calls down, eyes squinting to see what she’s pulled out.

“You better call Wynonna. I think I found Wyatt’s gun.”


	22. Destiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short and cliffhangy, but there's some more answers and look 3 updates in a week! :)

Within an hour, Wynonna, Juan Carlo, Gus and Doc Holliday are all sitting in the small living room at the Homestead with Nicole and Waverly. The gun, ‘Peacemaker’, as Wyatt had named it, sits on the coffee table.

“You think Ward put it there, in the well?” Wynonna asks to no one in particular. She looks around the room, her eyes narrowing when they land on Nicole. “And how the hell did you know where to find it?”

Waverly bristles at Wynonna’s tone, but says nothing. She’s interested in the answer as well.

“I’m not sure. I was in my cougar form and was just about to shift back to human when something… _called_ me.. to the well.” She says. “I only discovered it when my necklace slipped out of my pocket in my jeans down the well. I saw the loose rock when I was down there.” She’d already answered this question, but knew the distrust in Wynonna’s eyes would not go away until she believed _something_ had brought Nicole to the gun.

“You were in cougar form when it called to you?” Juan Carlo confirms slowly as if trying to figure something out.

“Yes.” Nicole says, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. She was physically and emotionally tired and tired of being questioned on things she herself barely understands.

He nods and he and Doc exchange a furtive look that doesn’t go unnoticed by both Nicole and Wynonna.

“What?!” The brunette wails, her arms thrown up in frustration as she glares at the sage and then the guardian angel with near murderous intent.

Unfazed by the brunette’s outburst, Doc strokes his mustache and his eyes go unfocused for a second. The air in the room grows anticipatory as all of the people in the room stare at him.

“Nicole’s great-great grandfather and Wyatt had a connection.” Doc finally admits.

“Now you fucking tell us?” Wynonna gets up from her seat and begins pacing, running her hand through her hair roughly.

“What do you mean, a connection?” Nicole asks after a beat, ignoring Wynonna’s outburst and looking right at Juan Carlo. But it was Doc who spoke.

“Your great-grandfather, Tocho, I believe his name was, saved Wyatt when he was but a very young man.” The group went quiet and gave their full attention to Doc. He trains his eyes on Nicole as he begins the story that Wyatt told him so very long ago.

“He was lying near the riverbank your tribe used daily, a bullet wound in his gut from trying to help an Indian woman and her daughter avoid falling prey to a nasty group of white men. Your great-great grandfather came to him as a panther but shifted back at the scent of him lying there, dying, intending to finish him off, Wyatt reckoned. But as soon as Wyatt asked for help, without so much as a brief hesitation, your great-great grandfather dragged him to the healer’s hut instead. Wyatt recalled an old woman laid hands on him for two days, and his infection cleared and his wound was halfway closed. He said it was the two most amazing things he’d ever witnessed, up until then.” Doc stops and looks at Waverly meaningfully before continuing his story.

“Wyatt never forgot the Apache tribe’s kindness. When he had Peacemaker forged from a special metal he had sought out after a fever dream a year or so later, he’d had a necklace forged from it too. In his fever dream, whomever guided him to the place where he found the metal said it would help him in his quest for justice and offer those who can handle the special metal, protection. He came back to present it to Tocho, but he had been killed while out on a hunt. The necklace was given to his eldest daughter, a two-spirit named, Waneta.”

Nicole listens, riveted. She knew the necklace was special, her grandfather had made a big deal about her wearing it or having it with her at all times, telling her it would protect her. She wondered if she’d had it before her family was killed would it have protected them all? She’s surprised when her mind starts to go down that road and all she can bring up are happy times she’d had and good memories. She can’t even remember the sheer terror and then overwhelming sorrow she felt at coming into their home, mere moments after they’d all been murdered. Then she remembers what Waverly did, and it makes her angry all over again.

“I need some air.” She says abruptly and stands to leave.

“Nicole, wait.” Waverly says just as quickly, standing as well.

“I want to be alone, okay?” She says, hating herself for how petulant she sounds, but not caring to correct it at the moment. She sees herself out the front door, catching it right before it slams and then hoping down the stairs and into the fading light.

 

…

 

“Christ, she’s moody.” Wynonna announces as she picks up the gun, carelessly spinning it around.

“Hey! Careful!” Doc shouts, standing so fast and grabbing it out of Wynonna’s hand he nearly knocks over the table.

She has the good sense to look a bit contrite and stuffs her hands in her pockets. “I guess I better learn how to handle the thing.”

“Yeah, you’d better.” Doc admonishes, grimacing when the thing starts to glow and turn hot. He sets it down as gracefully as he can while trying not to scorch his hand. Wynonna picks it up slowly, giving him a shit-eating grin when it glows a cool blue, feeling as comfortable as the handle on her precious motorcycle.

“I’m going to go after Nicole.” Juan Carlo says and stands giving Gus a polite nod.

“No, please, let me.” Waverly responds and is moving to the door before anyone can tell her different. The last few moments while Nicole’s been gone, and upon hearing this new information about both of the their families, she’s been going over in her brain why she did what she did and she thinks she’s figured it out. She only hopes Nicole will understand. She has to.

 

Nicole sits on the other side of the barn, her fingers idly caressing the panther’s claw sitting just above her breasts. She appreciates hearing the real story behind its significance and somehow feels a strange comfort that her family and the Earps have some familiarity with each other.

“Hi.” She hears and turns, knowing who’d she’d fine. She offers a small smile despite herself and then turns back around, not wanting to see the desperate hope come ablaze in the omega’s eyes.

“Nicole. Please. I’m so, so sorry.” She says as she walks slowly to the shape-shifter, finally coming to stand right in front of her. All she wants to do is wrap her up in her arms. Or better yet, have Nicole wrap her long, strong arms around her, tell her she forgives her and that they’ll be okay at the end of all this. But she knows none of that has a real chance of happening. She also knows it’s a big reason why she did what she did.

“I should never have done what I did.” Waverly continues, flinching at the fire in Nicole’s eyes when she looks at the brunette again. She soldiers on however, needing to say her piece. “But if I could just give you my reasoning.”

She’s encouraged when Nicole doesn’t storm off. She continues to look at her soft brown eyes turning to steel, face an unreadable mask.

“I don’t think we’ll be making it through this when all is said and done. I love Wynonna dearly, but I don’t think she’s gonna be able to pull this off.” She starts. She sees Nicole’s eyes soften and she seems about to protest, but Waverly shakes her head and continues. “I just wanted… I wanted you to know peace, if only for a little while. I knew you wouldn’t willingly let me take your pain away…” She watches Nicole, the unreadable mask slipping to reveal a struggle with her emotions as her lips tense, but her eyes round slightly, grow moist.

“I also desperately wanted to connect with you. This pull I feel, Nicole. It goes beyond this alpha/omega thing. It feels like… destiny.” Nicole’s eyes close slowly and Waverly’s not sure she’s pissed her off even more or if Nicole is seeing what she’s seeing between them.

She waits in silence and swears it’s the hardest thing she’s ever had to do, especially as the silence continues to grow longer.

Finally, Waverly takes a deep breath that lets out in a sigh. “I just wanted to explain myself. I’m gonna go join the others.” She says with sad resignation. She holds her tears until she gets just around the barn and hurries to her Jeep as those tears begin to blind her.

“Wait!” She hears right before she starts to slam the Jeep door. She looks up to see Nicole jogging towards her. She holds her breath, sliding out of the driver’s seat, hands clutched together as Nicole approaches.

“I’m still very angry with you, but I do feel it too, Waverly. I do.” She says, slightly out of breath, eyes bright. Waverly looks at her with that same desperately hopeful look and something breaks within Nicole. She takes Waverly’s jaw gently in between her hands and tilts her head up until their lips press together in a soft, heartfelt kiss. When Nicole pulls away, she looks at Waverly with a mix of consternation and utter devotion.

“I know you won’t believe me, that I’m saying this way too late, but I want what happens between us to be your choice. I want you to be able to choose Nicole…. I know I took that away from you, but from here on out, however long it might be… I’ll do whatever you want.” Waverly says, breathless as she searches Nicole’s face, waiting for her reply.

 

 


	23. Take the Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright kids. I think this is what some of you horn dogs have been waiting for. Thanks for sticking around.

“Let the gun guide you.” Doc says as he puts his fingers over Wynonna’s shaky ones that are gripping the handle way too hard. She nods though and relaxes a bit, eyes refocusing on the target. She nearly drops the gun as it gives off a mute glow. “Take the shot.” Doc says with calm command.

Wynonna squeezes the trigger just like Doc had shown her to do and this time keeps her eyes open. She sees a perfect hole exactly where she was aiming on the straw dummy, right between the eyes.

“Holy shit.” Gus breathes out and everyone else chuckles, having their reaction voiced succinctly by the older woman.

“So this gun will help me shoot it. Thank god.” Wynonna says, letting it drop casually to her hip before remembering what Doc told her. She controls its descent and walks over to the large tree stump, setting it down gently, barrel facing the tree line, away from people.

“You’ll need a custom holster for it.” Doc says, reaching a hand up to brush at his mustache in thought.

“I can make one. I did some leather work on a job not too long ago.” Nicole says, stepping closer to the circle of people. Waverly smiles at her approvingly as Doc nods.

“Sounds good.” Doc says and looks to Wynonna, a question in his eyes.

“Yeah, sure. I design it though.” She answers with mild haughtiness that earns her an eye roll from her sister.

“Great. I’ll go to town and get the supplies.” Nicole says and heads to the truck used for ranch errands.

“Hey, I’ll go with you.” Waverly says and joins her on the other side of the truck. Nicole gives a nod and they both get in.

The ride is silent, but Waverly has come to expect that. She’s been treated to silence since their confrontation two weeks ago. She isn’t sure where she stands with Nicole, but she’s still here, still all in, so that is something.

She looks out the window, enjoying the serene rural landscape she’s known all her life. Today, the sky is dark with moisture pregnant clouds throwing the white and gray farmhouses into stark relief.

“I’ve been meaning to thank you… for fixing my hat.” Nicole says quietly. Waverly doesn’t respond, just smiles as she continues to take in the view. She’d patched the beloved wide-brimmed sun hat when Nicole had accidently snagged it on a barbed-wire fence, tearing a large hole in it. She’d picked it up after Nicole had angrily tossed it into the garbage, patched it up and hung it on the same hook Nicole had her back up tool-belt in their barn.

She’d been doing little things for Nicole as a way of staying connected to the shape-shifter since words didn’t seem to be much of an option. There was still a lot of work to do at the homestead and Nicole made sure she was on hand to do it, despite still working at the McCready’s. So around noon each day, Waverly made her lunch, often calling her to the homestead to sit out of the sun. She left her alone to eat, something she sensed Nicole wanted, but was never too far away.

She’d bring out something to drink or something sweet right before Nicole would call it a day, often sending her home with something for Gus as well because the stubborn woman refused to leave her home, despite growing threats from Clootie’s gang. They all knew it was a matter of time before they began to close in on those the Earps held dear. If they couldn’t get to the homestead, they’d try and lure them out. So Doc, Wynonna, Nicole, Waverly, even Juan Carlo used the time they had to prepare. To plan.

They arrive at the supply store and Nicole goes around the place, picking up everything she needs for the holster with quick efficiency. Waverly busies herself picking up chicken feed and a few other things she knows she’s running low on. She meets Nicole at the door and smiles to herself as Nicole opens both the store door and then the truck door for her.

“Thanks.” She says as Nicole takes all their purchases and puts them in the back of the truck.

Waverly turns on the radio to an oldies country radio station and begins to hum along as a familiar song from her childhood comes on. Having Nicole captive in the truck, she decides to share the memory. It’s bittersweet and selfishly she hopes it will soften the alpha’s heart a bit.

“My dad loved Earl Thomas Conley. He’d play this album over and over again and he and my mom would dance in the living room. It was really my only clear memory of my mom.” She starts, glancing to the shape-shifter. She sees the slight relaxation of her jaw and knows she’s listening. “When she left, I remember the silence in the house vividly.” She says and her eyes grow a bit misty. She feels Nicole’s eyes on her for a few seconds before returning to the road.

“One day, a few years later, I come home from school after having a real crappy day and I hear ‘Fire and Smoke’ playing. It was at that moment I knew my dad was going to be okay. We danced and laughed through the whole album and afterwards went out for ice cream instead of having dinner.” She smiles wistfully as she brushes away some moisture under her eye and as her hand settles into her lap, she feels warm, calloused fingers wrap around it and squeeze for a second before disappearing, returning to the steering wheel.

…

Nicole sits in her truck, long after enduring Wynonna’s nagging and nitpicking as she worked on her holster until finally Wynonna approved and slid it around her waist, giving her a thumbs up and half-hearted ‘thanks’.

She’d said her goodnights to everyone in the house, her heart panging painfully at the longing look she got from Waverly. The look that is keeping her rooted to the spot, near the Earp mailbox, thinking.

Thinking about how every time she thought of her family now, all she could recall was the happy memories. When she thought of Curtis, she only saw him grinning at her, imparting wisdom and encouragement. She couldn’t remember seeing him taking his last breaths, bloody, torn apart. Gone was all the guilt, sadness, torment.

She understood why Waverly did it on its face, but she didn’t consent to it. It made her so angry. She took something from her that was an integral part of who she was. She also took the control Nicole had been fighting to gain back ever since learning of her shifting ability, and not being there to save her family. But as time passes she begins to realize that what Waverly did, no matter how bad she did it in manner, was a gift. Waverly knows the type of pain she was in, because she’s been there too. _Is still there_ , she thinks as she replays Waverly’s story from earlier that day.

But still, and this might be what scares her more than makes her angry with what Waverly did, but she feels Waverly took a part of her that was essential. Essential in being able to fight this upcoming battle. The fuel that has driven her to choose light instead of dark each time. The need to right wrongs she had so consistently attributed to her own actions. Without that guilt and burden driving her on, what will drive her now?

She begins to disrobe, having had enough retrospection for the night. She quietly opens the truck door and slips out, focusing on her shift until her only thought is the scent of a possum crossing her nose.

….

 

It starts as a low indistinct rumble, and Waverly flips over in her bed, throwing a pillow over her head to block out the sound. But the sound increases and soon it doesn’t sound like thunder at all. It has the sound and pace of giant, heavy footsteps. She throws the pillow off her head and sits up straight, eyes wide and searching. The house begins to shutter with each crashing ‘BOOM’ and she races to her window, mouth agape at what she sees. A large, shadowy figure, head above the tree-line, coming towards the house.

She doesn’t even put on shoes or a coat as she throws open her door and runs out of the room, down the stairs to Wynonna’s room.

“Wynonna!” She yells, trying to wake her. She grabs her shoulder, pulling her around and when she sees her sister’s face it morphs into a charred black skull, deep pool of red glowing from the sockets. She shrieks and falls back on her butt, scrambling away until she’s back on her feet. She finally gets to the front door and throws it open only to look up and see a giant foot the size of a semi-truck coming down on the house and her…

A strangled scream brings Waverly out of her nightmare and she sits up, gasping for air, holding her chest. It takes her a few seconds to realize it was just a dream, but she does see and hear there is a storm howling outside. Then she becomes aware of someone in her room. She scrambles out of bed, looking for something heavy to wield when a series of lightening strikes illuminates the room for a second. She sees it isn’t a person, it’s a very familiar cougar. She relaxes instantly, but the calm is short lived. She feels her nipples stiffen painfully and a deep, delicious pang low in her belly.

She watches in rapt fascination as the cougar starts to shift, lightening illuminating her every few seconds as bones shorten and others lengthen, body fur recedes, changes color, grows hair out in other places, skin and form begins to take shape of the tall, lithe, pale, beautiful human that has come to mean so much to her.

She stands rooted to the spot, her breath becoming heavy and eyes dark as another flash of lightening illuminates Nicole’s body in full. She licks her lips and quickly moves then, to the bed, ripping off her nightgown as Nicole, with all her human-feline grace climbs atop the bed and settles on top of her the second Waverly is in place, pushing Waverly’s legs apart with gentle urgency. Mixed with the alpha’s strong scent she can smell earth, rain, blood. She gives in easily to the lips and tongue on her own as her hands go around Nicole’s neck, pulling her closer as she feels her alpha-hood pressing against her pelvic bone.

Nicole’s arms slide under Waverly’s shoulders and she holds her tight as she kisses her deeply, tongue exploring, teeth nipping. She pulls away from her lips after a few moments and begins to slide her mouth along her jaw, up to her ear, down her neck with intent, not quite gentle. She’s still so warm from sleep and her scent just makes Nicole want to crawl inside her and never come out. She slides down slightly to take her perfect nipples into her mouth, and she bites and sucks them roughly, sighing loudly when she feels Waverly’s back arch off the bed and her hands go into her hair, tugging, pushing.

“I want you inside me.” Nicole hears from above her in a taught whisper. She pulls away from her nipple to look up at dark, glassy, half-lidded eyes. Eyes full of want, but not lust. Need. She’ll give Waverly what she needs. She’ll take what she wants.

“Take it. Take what you want, Nicole.” Waverly breathes out, rolling her pelvis against Nicole’s abdomen that’s pressed against her clit. Nicole wonders idly if Waverly can somehow read her mind now, but she’s too caught up in her scent, her touch, her taste to care. Her mouth goes back to her nipples and she tugs a bit harder with her teeth and sucks a hickey onto the underside of her breast, making Waverly gasp.

Waverly pushes up against Nicole again, getting her attention. “Remember what I said, I’ll do whatever you want.” She says and then her eyes close and she licks her lips slowly.

“I want to fill you full of my seed.” She purrs, voice hoarse with arousal. Her eyes narrow in challenge as she lowers her mouth back down to her nipple, sucking hard without breaking eye contact.

“I’d be sad if you didn’t.” Waverly says solemnly as she pulls Nicole up by her hair, bringing their lips together in a bruising kiss.

After a few seconds, Nicole pulls back to look into Waverly’s eyes as she reaches down with one hand, taking hold of her member and brushing through Waverly’s folds before sliding in agonizingly slow. She could come just from the look on Waverly’s face as she fills her entirely. The omega’s arms go around Nicole’s upper back as her legs wrap around her hips, knees high as they can go to accommodate as much of the shape-shifter as she can.

They begin to move in a slow and intentional rhythm, eyes never leaving one another. It’s Nicole’s breath that becomes labored first and after a few moments, she’s letting out brief puffs of air that become short gasps. Waverly encourages her by pressing up as much as she can into her as their pace quickens.

“I love you, Nicole.” The angel omega whispers against the shape-shifter’s lips and that’s all it takes for the alpha to go rigid for a second as she spills her seed inside the omega with a series of grunts and short, hard spasms.

Waverly watches her face in wonder, a tear slipping from the corner of her eyes as the shape-shifter’s delicious warmth fills her all the way to her cervix.

Spent, emotionally, physically, Nicole lays her head down in the crook of Waverly’s neck, breathing heavily against it as Waverly’s hand comes up to cradle her head, caressing her scalp softly. She feels herself begin to go soft, a trickle of either Waverly’s wetness or hers, or a mix of both sliding down along the base of her shaft and Waverly’s folds and down to the sheets.

Sated and clear headed now, she has a moment of insecurity. She knows what Waverly said, but was it truly what Waverly wanted? Was it what she wanted? With Waverly in heat and she in rut, this joining will almost certainly result in pregnancy. Then she hears the three words Waverly said before she came echo softly in her head. Destiny or not, she knows she loves Waverly too. Loves her more than anyone she’s ever loved before. She is her family now.

And with that, her anger at Waverly and insecurities melt away. She leans forward slightly putting a tender kiss to Waverly’s jaw before sliding down her sweat-slicked body, pausing to kiss her omega’s seed-swollen belly, and marveling at her new motivation to defeat Clootie. This right here was the only motivation she needed. Waverly. Their moments ago conceived little one. She kisses her way down and runs her tongue through Waverly’s folds tasting herself and Waverly. She settles in as Waverly’s hands go to her head, guiding where she wants her most until she’s quivering and whimpering with a breathless laugh, ‘no more, please.’

She climbs back up the omega and settles on her side, her hand splaying across Waverly’s upper chest, delighting in the jack-hammering speed of her heartbeat.

“Give me a few moments and we’ll go again. You better last longer this time though.” The omega teases as she covers Nicole’s hand with hers and gives it a light slap.


	24. It's Begun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a very short chapter to get the ball rolling again. Thanks to those that have kept reading. I should have some more time to write this week.

Waverly stares at the ceiling, absently noting the pale purple of pre-dawn splashing through the sheer curtain as thoughts race through her exhausted brain. She’d slept restlessly after another two rounds with Nicole, and once she was completely sated, she began to really examine the implications of what they’d just done. She doesn’t regret the sex, for it was honest to goodness lovemaking, but she’d been caught up in her heat, her need for connection and now, she can just imagine Nicole’s seed finding purchase. In a couple of weeks she’ll be with child. Likely right in the middle of hell on earth.

She turns her head and looks at Nicole who had turned away from her during the night, but still stayed close, her backside pushed up against her upper thigh. She smiles just looking at her. She knows she loves Nicole. It wasn’t a lie or something said in the heat of the moment just because. But she knew bringing a child into the world right now is wholly irresponsible.

She sighs so loudly she fears waking up Nicole. She decides to slip out of bed so she can contemplate quietly and weigh her options on how to deal with this new development.

…

Nicole stirs awake, eyes widening instantly when she sees that the sun is well up. She turns to see Waverly’s side of the bed empty, cold. A stab of disappointment hits her as she really didn’t expect to awake alone, especially after last night. Her heartbeat quickens just at the memory _. I definitely lasted longer the last two times_ , she smirks to herself, recalling the sounds, the words Waverly uttered and sometimes screamed just a few hours ago.

Last night had motivated Nicole more than ever to make sure she and the Earp sisters would come out victorious against Clootie. Because for the first time in a long time, she actually had a real future to look forward to.

…

“Wynonna, I can’t bring a baby into this mess. How is that fair? I can’t believe I let it get that far…” Waverly agonizes as she leans against the kitchen sink, eyes unfocused as she looks out the window.

“Probably should have thought of that before you went all ‘whore in heat’ on her.” The older brunette whispers loudly with a crooked smirk in an attempt to temper the judgment of her words. It fails as Waverly’s head sinks and she begins to cry quietly. “You’re right.” She says weakly, wiping her face angrily with the dish towel under her left hand.

“Shit.” Wynonna mutters as she brings her eyes heavenwards. “I didn’t mean it like that…. I mean, you said you lo-…” Her words are cut off by Doc’s voice coming from the hallway near the stairs.

“Morning Nicole.” He says, strained and loud as he comes into view, his eyes wide and warning towards the Earp sisters as he peers into the kitchen.

There are two quiet footsteps and then Nicole is standing in the entryway of the kitchen and by the look in her eyes, Waverly knows she heard her. Waverly’s known heartache all her life, but looking at Nicole now, she can barely breathe under the weight of the pain in her chest.

“I’m heading over to Juan Carlo’s. I’ll see you all back for dinner.” She rushes out and moves to the door quickly to put as much distance between her and the Earp Homestead as she can before angry, embarrassed tears flood her vision.

…

Waverly paces the floor, anger and regret warring in her heart. “I should have chased her, should have stopped her and explained.” She mutters to herself.

“She’ll be back for dinner, you guys can talk then.” Wynonna says, eyes fixed on her task of cleaning her gun.

Waverly stops pacing and her face goes pale. Wynonna drops the cleaning cloth and stands, alarmed at her sister’s expression.

“What is it?” She says, even though she already knows.

“It’s starting.”

…

Nicole’s barely off Earp property when she sheds her clothes and transforms into her cougar form. She just wants to be free of her human thoughts if only for the time it takes her to bound through the woods towards Juan Carlo’s place.

When she reaches the clearing though, she picks up Juan Carlo’s scent. It’s very strong. Blood. She acts before she can even shift back, jumping through an open window she only barely registers as being broken. She sees the old man, crumpled and moaning, his place torn up and blood pooling under him and down his chin from his mouth. She then picks up another scent, the scent of charred wood that makes her hiss in anger.

“Go.” She hears Juan Carlo get out in a choked whisper. She pauses, her human brain registering this is the last time she’ll see him alive. “Go, goddamn it. It’s begun. Do what you were born…to…do.” And with that, his breath stops and his eyes go unfocused. Nicole doesn’t waste another second. She’s got a job to do and for now, a family to protect.


	25. Great Fucking News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news! No cliffhanger!
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> j/k

Nicole picks up the scent right outside the cabin and tears up the trail in pursuit. She sees a figure, moving with inhuman speed, but she too can move with inhuman speed and is on its back before it can even turn around. Her sharp teeth tear into the dusty, moldy flesh and crunch through ashy bone. The figure drops, morphing into human form before going still, head twisted unnaturally from the damage the cougar inflicted.

She begins to drag it by the leg, planning to bring it to the Earp Homestead where Wynonna can shoot it and send it back to Hell. She is shocked when the ground begins to burn and then open up, swallowing the once-human. She scampers back, cougar eyes wide as she hisses at the gruesome scene.

When the earth closes back up, she shifts quickly, staring at the fresh earth until she notices a mild burning at the base of her throat. Her fingers go to her neck and sure enough, she’d forgotten to remove her panther necklace in her haste to shift.

“Holy shit.” She whispers to herself. “I can send them back to hell too.”

 

…

 

“Makes sense, really.” Doc says as he reaches slowly for the necklace around Nicole’s neck, catching her eyes first as if to ask permission. She nods and his eyes go back to the necklace as he picks it up off her shirt and runs his finger over the paw. “You think it only works when you are in cougar form?” He asks as he releases the charm and sits back in his seat.

She shrugs, but offers, “I don’t think I want to test the theory out unless I absolutely have to.” She says, heartened immeasurably when she feels Waverly slide her hand over her knee and give a squeeze.

They haven’t spoken yet, but Waverly’s been looking at her with a mixture of relief and worry since she had shown up at the homestead and told them all what had happened.

“This is great fucking news, though.” Wynonna says as she leans up and grasps the necklace without warning, making Nicole flinch.

“Wynonna.” Waverly admonishes, eyes flitting to Nicole’s in apology. Wynonna ignores her, dropping the charm unceremoniously back to it’s resting place.

“It certainly helps our odds. I still think we should stick to our plan, but perhaps alter Nicole’s role.” Doc says.

“Duh. She’s gonna cougar out on ‘em and rip their throats out before they even know what’s happening.” Wynonna says with glee. Both Doc and Waverly shake their heads slowly.

“What? Isn’t that kind of obvious?” Wynonna asks incredulously.

Doc strokes his mustache in thought and then begins to scribble down notes as Wynonna comes to sit next to him, reading over his shoulder. Waverly takes the moment of distraction to pull Nicole aside. “Can I talk to you outside please?” She asks quietly, her eyes mildly pleading.

“Of course.” Nicole says, her heart in her throat. She’s knows they’ve run out of time for Waverly to make any major decisions, but still, the thought of her regretting what they did... and if by some miracle they survive this and Waverly decides to terminate the pregnancy anyway…

“Listen Nicole…” Waverly starts, but Nicole puts a hand on her shoulder as she hears a car screaming up the driveway.

“It’s Sheriff Nedley.” Nicole says as she starts down the porch steps when she sees the cruiser. She sees the terror in Nedley’s eyes before he even brings the car to a screeching halt, kicking up loose rocks and dust.

“It’s Gus.” He calls out and she and Waverly rush to the back of the cruiser and yank the door open as Nedley yells for the rest of the crew.

“Gus!” Waverly gasps in alarm.

“I went to pick her up as soon as you called Waverly. They got to her before I got there.” He gets out, anguished as he yanks off his hat and wipes his brow. “Bus is right behind me. I told them she has to be treated here.”

“Call ‘em off.” Doc says, his lips in a tight line. Nedley just stares at him.

“Unless you want two more innocents dead, call them off! We’ll take care of her.” He says, pointing towards where Waverly had just gone in after them.

“Oh, right.” The older man says, scrambling back to his radio to cancel the call.

He follows Doc into the house but stops at the doorway, choosing to stay out of the way. He watches with a grim expression as Nicole and Wynonna tend to the small woman’s wounds the best they can, stopping the blood, attempting to clean the wounds.

Gus is in and out of consciousness, but comes to when Waverly leans over her and then begins to settle down next to her.

“No. I’m too far gone and you know it. You must save it for the fight ahead.” She manages in a low, pained whisper as Waverly begins to shake her head furiously.

“I can’t let you..” Waverly says, looking up helplessly to Wynonna then to Doc and finally Nicole, pleading with them to step in and say something. They all bow their heads, solemn. Wynonna wipes at her eyes harshly.

Waverly begins to put her hands on Gus, knowing Gus isn’t even strong enough to fight her. She ignores her weak, _“No, Waverly… Stop.”_

“You have to save your strength Waverly. For her.” Doc says quietly, kneeling down next to Waverly and looking up at Nicole. “For her and _the little one_.” He says into her ear, with a gentle touch to her belly. Her fingers instantly still and she sags down onto her butt and begins to cry in earnest.

In Gus’ last bit of strength, she reaches out to Waverly, resting her hand on her knee. “I’m sorry I have to go. I love you two so much.” She says, eyes glistening as she looks up at Wynonna and then Waverly. “You are strong. You will beat him. I will always, always be with you. Me and Curtis will _always_ look out for you _all_.” She says as she swings her eyes over to Nicole. They come to rest on Waverly’s and with a small, peaceful smile, she crosses over.

There is a quiet shudder throughout the house and then an instant later, a rumble starts in the distance, growing louder, stronger as it nears.

Wynonna stands and faces the door, her face set with anger and cold determination, tears already drying against her cheeks. She pulls the gun out of its holster and takes two quick strides to the door and yanks it open so hard it cracks the front window.

“Come and get it, you motherfuckers.”

“We aren’t ready!” Waverly cries as she searches everyone’s faces in desperation as she stands up from the couch, reeling from the sudden turn of events.

“Looks like we do not have a choice. They’ll raze the town if we don’t confront them.” Doc says as he pulls out his revolvers one by one, checking them industrially. He slips them back into their holsters and nods to Sheriff Nedley.

“I called Smith, told him to send everyone out to make sure the town-folk stay off the street.” He confirms.

“Alright then.” He says, pulling the brim of his hat snug down on his head and heads out towards the barn where Wynonna is taking up her post.

“Nicole.” Waverly nearly whimpers as she turns to the tall shape-shifter, eyes wide and terrified. Nicole closes the distance between them and wraps her arms around Waverly.

“Wynonna and I are the only ones that can send these bastards back to hell and I will make sure you are safe, no matter what.” Nicole promises solemnly.

Waverly nods, sniffling and wiping her eyes. She looks up at Nicole eyes searching for a few seconds before she swallows the lump in her throat and begins to speak. “Nicole, last night… It wasn’t a mistake. Okay. I need you to believe me please.” She says, knowing their time is almost up.

Nicole just gives her a sad smile as she leans down and takes Waverly’s lips with hers in a deep, desperate kiss. “I love you, Waverly Earp.” She says and in the blink of an eye, she’s out the back door, discarding clothes as she heads to the far end of the Earp property line.

…

“Accept your fate, Earp. I’ll give you and your sister until sundown to come off the property before I destroy all of Purgatory.” Bulshar calls out in his raspy, garbled voice. “I’ll make it quick for your sister if you don’t make me wait.” He adds after a beat.

“What makes you think I give a fuck about what you do to Purgatory? This town has given me nothing but giant shit sandwiches my whole life.”

“You are an Earp. You cannot let innocents die on your behalf. Cowardice is not in your DNA.” He says as his charred black mouth slits open into a something of a smirk.

“You know what else is in my DNA?”

Bulshar’s glowing red eyes widen when Wynonna pulls out Wyatt’s Peacemaker and takes aim. His supernatural speed is the only thing that saves him from getting a bullet right between the eyes.

“Fuck!” She yells, advancing the chamber and taking aim again.

“I can do this all day.” He says as he perches himself on a dead tree stump outside the property.

“Tell you what, why don’t you bring out your posse and we’ll see who is…” Wynonna begins to retort when she sees two of them dragging a woman between them.

“An incentive.” Bulshar announces as the two beings bring a young woman to the fence. They grab her by the hair and Wynonna’s eyes widen. She hears her sister from the front door of the homestead.

“Rosita!” She calls, taking a step out and then begins to slowly walk to the fence.

“Waverly, no!” Wynonna yells, scrambling down out of the barn loft.

“They can’t do anything to us here!” Waverly shouts as her sister reaches her, grabbing her arm. Waverly’s cheeks are tear-stained, eyes wild with fear, guilt. She pulls out of Wynonna’s grasp and continues to the fence.

“Let her go.” She says, low and strong.

“Come make me.” The taller of the two beings says.

“I’ve decided I don’t want to wait.” Bulshar says as casually as his inhuman voice can manage. He gestures to an area of trees. “Go burn the town down.” He says airily.

“STOP!” Wynonna begs. Bulshar holds up a gnarled finger and the beings pause. Wynonna raises her gun and shoots, killing three on the spot. She smiles wickedly as Bulshar growls in anger.

“Kill her!” He orders the creatures that have Rosita. Suddenly a rust colored flash of hair is seen leaping over a large boulder and then the creatures are screaming in agony as their limbs are being ripped from their bodies.

“Rosita!” Waverly yells, heading towards the drive at a run. She reaches out for Rosita and just as their hands clasp, Rosita pulls Waverly right outside of the Earp property line and they land in a heap right at Bulshar’s feet.


	26. Make Your Peace

Bulshar reaches down and grabs Waverly by the hair and drags her up to her feet. “If I knew it would be this easy, I would have done this a long time ago.” He chuckles darkly, his red eyes glowing with menacing mirth. She struggles to free herself, but branches grow out of the demon’s body and wrap around hers, holding her in place.

Everyone’s attention is on Waverly and they all miss Rosita scrambling onto the property running to the back of the house.

The cougar paces around Bulshar, looking for a way to get at him that won’t endanger Waverly. She’s distracted by more of Bulshar’s creatures coming towards the homestead.

“Go.” He commands and they pour onto the Earp homestead turning into human form and armed as they cross over.

“Goddamnit!” Wynonna screams in surprise as she brings up Peacemaker and begins to take out as many as she can before they set up and take cover. They are moving targets that shoot back though and she must shoot them in the head, so she gets about every third one she aims for as she scrambles from cover to cover as they advance.

“Fuck!” She screams, running for high ground again before they all can complete reloading. “Doc! Watch Waverly!” She yells, but Doc has his hands full with putting as many as he can out of commission knowing they’ll only rise again moments later.

“Wynonna, aim for the ones on the ground!” He yells back, trying in vain to keep eyes on Bulshar as he backs into the truck and jumps into the bed. “How did they get on to the property?” He shouts the question as he ducks behind Curtis’ old truck.

“Fuck if I know!” She yells back, growling when Peacemaker jams for a moment. She spares a moment to watch Nedley struggling with one of the demons. She takes careful aim, blowing the back of his head out right before he swings at Nedley with an ax. He looks up at her with a weary ‘thanks’ and then he’s off taking on another demon. A quick spark of pride and affection ignites in her heart at the actions of the old sheriff as she turns her attention back to the demons advancing on the barn. Soon they’ll have her trapped.

Meanwhile the cougar is taking down as many of the creatures as she can before they cross into the homestead. Luckily, they are no match for her sharp teeth, claws and speed. She will use that to her advantage and once she has a clear path, she’ll take Bulshar down, somehow.

She sees her chance dwindling though when he begins to move away using Waverly as a shield. She knows she must move fast so she slashes through the two beings in her way.

She runs to cut off his path to the woods but doesn’t see the giant creature until its too late.

“Nicole!” She hears Waverly shout a warning but it’s too late and the monster is on the cougar’s back, it’s teeth looking for purchase around her neck. She twists herself into the ground hoping to dislodge the beast, but only manages to knock it slightly off balance. Its large claws immediately take purchase into the cougar’s sides and she feels the teeth sink into her shoulder and she mewls loudly in pain. If she can just get her teeth somewhere into it, she prays it will be sent to hell like the other creatures. Getting a glimpse of his narrow snout, she recognizes him as the hideous and huge dog-like monster that attacked her and Curtis that horrible night.

Her thoughts are broken with another slashing claw to her side makes her thrash desperately as she feels her strength beginning to diminish with the loss of blood.

She sees Bulshar moving farther away as Waverly cries out for Nicole and she hears Wynonna’s voice, angry and terrified. She tries in vain to shake the giant beast off, but she’s growing weaker with every heartbeat.

As she takes in heaving breaths, just trying to stay conscious, she replays the memory of Waverly, soft, open, naked under her and then there’s a vision, a little chubby baby with flame red hair and hazel half-moon eyes.

Gathering all the strength she has left as she feels a burning sensation at her throat, she slides out from under the beast, feeling chunks of her own flesh from shoulder to rear haunches being ripped away as she does so.

The beast is so surprised it takes a second to get back upright. When it does, the cougar launches herself right at its throat, sinking her teeth deep into its corded neck muscles to the bone.

She doesn’t even wait to make sure it has turned to dust and been swallowed into the earth, she rips away and heads straight for Bulshar. She’s unsteady with loss of blood but she stalks him nonetheless as his long, branch-like fingers curl tighter around Waverly’s throat. He has stopped moving towards the woods as his inhuman face contorts into something of a triumphant smile as he sees that Doc and Nedley have been subdued and tied to the side of the barn and Wynonna is surrounded, Peacemaker gone silent.

 _“Get him onto the homestead.”_ The cougar suddenly hears in her head. It’s the same voice, distant, but now she recognizes it as Juan Carlo. She hasn’t the strength to shift back and relay the message though and she knows her time is running out.

So she looks into Waverly’s eyes, concentrating all of her energy and thoughts, trying to broadcast them like she learned to do between her cougar and human brain. She stumbles at the effort, but doesn’t break eye contact with the omega. Finally, something sparks in Waverly’s eyes. A quick nod and the cougar collapses in relief. Waverly’s cry is muffled by the finger-like branches covering her face.

“I’ll come back later for you.” He says as he passes by the cougar, nudging her roughly with his root-like foot. Waverly tries to use the connection, the channel that Nicole has opened up between them to see if she’s still alive, but she can feel nothing.

“Bring the heir to me.” Bulshar commands as he begins moving towards the homestead again, dragging Waverly with him as she tries to twist around to see the cougar who is still motionless on the ground.

“Come and get me you rotted out piece of shit.” Wynonna calls back and Waverly can’t help the grin that spreads across her face despite her worry for Nicole. She tries to think of a way to get them back on to the homestead without alerting the demon to her intention.

“She’ll surrender if you will let me talk to her. I’m tired of fighting, please. I’ll get her to lay down Peacemaker if you can just make it quick, please…” Waverly pleads in a desperate, defeated tone.

The demon is silent for a moment and Waverly thinks he might honor her request. He begins to move towards the homestead and she doesn’t fight it.

“String that rope up over the tree. Make two nooses.” He commands the demon nearest him. Waverly’s eyes widen as they look up to Wynonna’s who is standing in the loft doorway, Peacemaker at her side, still pissed, still defiant. Bulshar is two steps onto Earp property and Waverly prays whatever is supposed to happen next does so quickly.

“Just come down Wynonna.” Waverly calls to her sister. Defeated, Wynonna disappears from the loft door. There are sounds of struggle, cursing, grunting as one of the demons gets thrown through the door, but a minute later, Wynonna is getting dragged out by three demons, her nose bloody, large gash on her brow.

Waverly gasps when Bulshar roughly drags her towards the tree and pulls the noose around her neck. Wynonna joins her barely able to stand as they jerk a noose around her neck too.

Waverly cranes her neck to try and see if she can see the cougar, but the view is obscured. She could be lying there dead for all Waverly knew. She begins to cry as the fear and resoluteness of their situation begins to sink in. She never got to tell Nicole how she had been wrong, that she did want the baby…. _The baby_ … Her hand goes to her stomach and her crying turns into outright sobs.

“For over a hundred years we’ve been waiting for this moment.” Bulshar announces with glee. His remaining demon posse begin to gather around, their freedom so close they can taste it.

“How.. how did you get onto the property?” Wynonna asks quietly, all the fight and anger gone.

“It’s pretty easy to get people to do your bidding with the right incentive.” He says cryptically.

Realization dawns on Waverly first. “Rosita? What did you do to her?” She asks, fear turning to anger now.

“Enough talking.” He growls as the demons begin to pull the rope across the massive tree branch.

…

“Put pressure on it.”

“This thing is gonna wake up and tear me to shreds.”

“We’re all gonna die if we don’t hurry.”

The cougar comes back around and immediately tries to stand, to defend herself, but she’s so weak. She sees red robes surrounding her and begins to make her way to her feet, teeth bared and letting out a deep growl.

She recognizes the leader of the Order and wants nothing more than to snap his neck in two.

“Nicole.” He addresses his hands raised. “ _Toho Kachina_.” He tries again and the cougar regards him curiously. “We don’t have much time to save them. You’re the only one who can sniff out the Ammonite on the Earp land. We saw the woman go to the back of the house. Lead us to it and we’ll dig it up.”

She gets her legs under her and begins to trot as quickly as she can back to the homestead. She immediately puts her nose to the ground as soon as she nears the house. She pauses to see that Bulshar has Waverly and Wynonna strung up, nooses around their necks.

“The only way to save them is to find the Ammonite.” The leader reminds her. She continues to sniff, finally picking up the scent near the storm cellar door at the back of the house.

The red-cloaked man, quickly digs it up, holding it in his hand for a moment. She growls at him but he stands slowly, palming the stone.

“If we toss this off the land, we’ll miss our chance of finally killing him.” He sees the cougar is taking in his words. Without a second thought, the cougar turns and heads towards Bulshar, determined to end it once and for all.

The red-cloaked man follows, Ammonite in hand, just in case.

…

“I should have never come back. I’m so sorry.” Wynonna cries, trying to look at her sister. “I should have just stayed away.” She says brokenly. She feels the noose begin to lift and she knows she only has seconds now.

Waverly stays quiet, in shock at what’s about to happen. She tries to stand on her toes, buying time before she’s lifted off her feet. She scans the land frantically, terrified and losing hope with each pull of the rope.

Her eyes are torn from the landscape and to her sister as she puts her hands up to the rope as she’s slowly lifted off her feet, beginning to choke.

Waverly lets out a last scream but it is broken off as the noose tightens and her feet lift off the ground. She struggles as her airway is cut off. She vaguely hears Doc and the sheriff screaming angrily as she begins to lose consciousness.

…

The cougar hears men shouting and Waverly scream as she rounds the house.  She then sees Waverly and Wynonna, hands grasping the rope as they are hoisted up. "I'll get them, you get Bulshar."  She hears the red-cloaked man say quickly.  Something explodes in her chest and she forgets her wounds as her focus becomes singular. She abandons stealth and quiet, instead roaring as loud as she can as she leaps at a full run into the demon Bulshar. She feels his hard, cold branches begin to wrap around her as she lands fully upon him, jaw open and ready. She sinks her teeth in and rips away at the pulpy, wooden-like tissue substance vaguely feeling a bullet graze her neck.

She pulls back and sees the red beads of terror where eyes should be and she pulls her lips back in a feral grin as the demon begins to turn to ash.

She only watches long enough to see the ground start to open when she leaps off and heads to Waverly.  Both women are sitting in a heap, clinging together as they catch their breath.  The cougar approaches slowly until Waverly reaches out, tear soaked face creasing into a relieved smile.

Wynonna gives her sister a tight hug and then slowly gets up and goes to the front of the barn.  She comes back out with Peacemaker giving it a hard look and whispering something to it before pointing it at the few remaining demons that have been surrounded by the Order.

“Make your peace, you fucking motherfuckers.”  She pulls the trigger with a satisfied grin when the bullet finds its mark and the demon goes screaming back to hell.

It’s the last thing the cougar hears before succumbing to her injuries in Waverly's arms.


	27. I Love You, Waverly Earp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know... I'm spoiling you now. Two updates and this one is super soft. Don't get too comfortable. If you know my writing, you'll know it ain't all puppies and roses just yet. 
> 
> Also, I'm heading out and wanted to get this posted so I didn't even proofread it. Any glaring mistakes kindly point them out! :)

She doesn’t think; she just acts.

As the cougar, her alpha, lays half in her lap, struggling with her last breaths, she places her hands on her chest, ignoring the sticky, warm blood, instead feeling for the faint, slowing heartbeat under her rust colored fur.

She takes deep, slow breaths and focuses all of her energy, moving her hands over the most serious wounds until she nearly passes out.

Wynonna watches until she sees her sister getting weaker and weaker, finally pulling her away from the big cat.

“Enough. You wanna die instead?” Wynonna gets out with bite, but the expression on her face reveals her concern for both her and Nicole.

“Wynonna.” She admonishes, but its weak.

Doc leans down and inspects the cougar’s wounds. “Bleeding is stopped. I don’t think the wounds are mortal any longer.” He says with a nod as he looks over at the Earp sisters.

“Can she.. does she need blood?” Wynonna asks, her sister leaning heavily on her now.

“I don’t think she has the strength to change so we can get her a transfusion.” He looks down at the cougar and motions for Nedley to help pick her up.

“I think it’s a wait and see at this point.” Doc says as they heft the big cat up off the ground.

“I’ll take Waverly to her room and make up a bed for her in the barn.” Wynonna says motioning to the cougar.

“You’ll do no such thing. She saved us Wynonna.” Waverly says, picking her head up from her sister’s shoulder and reaching for the big cat, stoking her fur on the top of her head between her ears with such love and intimacy, Doc ducks his head not wanting to intrude on a seemingly private moment.

“I can’t trust you not to continue healing her til you die.” Wynonna says matter-of-fact.

“I won’t. I promise. Nicole would never forgive me if I did that.” She says, eyes trained on the cougar. “She’s gonna make it.” She says finally, turning to look at her sister resolutely.

“Fine, carry her upstairs then.” She says as she turns with Waverly tucked under her shoulder. “You assholes stay put, I’ll be back down to ask who the fuck you are in a few minutes.” She scowls pointing at the red-cloaked strangers.

…

Waverly lays facing the cougar, watching her ribcage rise and sink deeply, rhythmically. She wishes she had the strength to get up and get some water and a towel to wash her off, but just being here with her watching over her will have to do.

Her own fever has broken and while she still feels so weak and tired, it isn’t as bad as she’d felt when she had healed Nicole’s emotional wounds.

She’d laid there for a few hours, listening to Wynonna outside rail against the Order for their timing and their reluctance to come forward _before_ this whole thing started, but ultimately thanked them for their part in getting the ammonite off the property and helping corral the rest of the demons. By the leader, Ewan’s, count, they had gotten them all.

Now she hears Wynonna and Doc downstairs apparently getting drunk after sending Nedley home with their most sincere thanks. She knows him coming out to help has done a lot for her sister and she hopes that once things return to normal (if they ever can after all they’ve lost) she’ll stick around for a while.

“And you, my poor, brave baby.” She coos as she runs her hands through the only hair not matted in blood near the cougar’s jaw. “You must get better. I’m not sure I can deal with having a cougar as a partner full-time.” She smiles, knowing that if it does come to it, she will adapt and cope, just like she’s done her entire life.

And with that waning thought, she drifts off to sleep, her hand curled around a giant cougar paw.

…

Waverly wakes to two very strange sensations, a rough tongue swiping at her fingers and a deep vibrating hum felt against her stomach. She opens her eyes and immediately smiles as her eyes focus on a much more alert, heavily purring cougar Nicole.

“Hey, morning.” She says through happy tears. She sits up, noting how much better she feels and looks down at the big cat who playfully rolls onto her back, showing off her broad, furry, slightly wet chest. “You’ve been cleaning yourself for a while, huh?” She notes as she sees her fur isn’t as deep red with blood as yesterday. As if on cue, the cougar rolls back around and coughs up a massive rust-tinged hairball.

“Seriously, Nic!?” She cries out horrified, yet blissfully amused at the same time. “I am NOT picking that up.” She laughs as she runs her hand up the animal’s back affectionately.

“That’s it. You’re having a bath.” She giggles as she slowly makes her way out of the bed, testing her balance and strength. She feels good if a little tired and turns to the cougar. “If you feel like you can shift, now would be a good time, because you are going to get cleaned one way or another.”

The big cat huffs and lays back down rolling on the bed as if to spite the omega. “And you are doing the laundry after!” She calls back over her shoulder.

She’s still giggling when she reaches down and turns on the tub tap, but it stops as she feels a tight cramp in her belly. She rubs it slightly and it goes away as quickly as it had come. “I guess getting strung up and dragged around by a tree demon can make you sore the next day.” She laughs off to herself, unable to fathom what else it might mean.

Once the water is halfway up the tub she marches the cougar into the bathroom.

“In you go.” She says unable to keep the mirth out of her voice at seeing an actual pout on her big cat alpha’s face. She looks up at her balefully before Waverly crosses her arms across her chest and sets her jaw.

The cat gracefully and soundlessly leaps up into the tub but loses her footing immediately dousing her whole body and most of Waverly’s.

The cat finally rights herself and huffs again as she looks up at Waverly. “I wish I had my phone to take a picture of you.” She giggles as she comes to the side of the tub and sits, grabbing some soap and beginning to work the matted, dirty fur into a full lather. She sits patiently while Waverly scrubs her, pushing her big head into her chest as she reaches for the shower hose to bring it down to rinse her. The water is a mix of brown and crimson by the time she’s done and her heart leaps in her throat at the visual reminder of how close she came to losing her love.

“Nic, are you able to shift yet? I need to… I just need to talk to you.” She says, pushing away a single tear that finds its way out of her eye.

The big cat looks at her, as if she understands and pushes her head into Waverly’s breast once more, purring so strong, Waverly can feel it through the porcelain of the tub. She sighs longingly as she gets up to go grab a few towels.

She isn’t gone more than a few seconds when she hears subtle splashing in the tub followed by some hisses and groans. She hurries to the door catching Nicole’s shift in the broad morning daylight.

Her jaw unhinges as she watches in rapt fascination as hair retracts first from her spine, sides and then arms. Her face elongates, fills out as her shoulders broaden, limbs grow then elbows and knee joints straighten and paws stretch into hands and feet. It’s gruesome and beautiful to watch and she barely registers when it’s finally Nicole that sits in the tub in a few inches of water, shivering and a little dazed.

“Here.” She hurries over to the tub, pulling a towel over her shoulders and reaching between her feet to drain the tub. She begins to gently dry her back and arms when she’s suddenly engulfed in long, slim, pale arms around her middle, red wet hair pressed against her sternum.

“Waverly.” She breathes out in a relieved sigh.

“Yes, baby, I’m right here.” Waverly says warmly, wrapping her arms around her as best she can.

After a few seconds, Nicole pulls back and studies her omega’s hazel eyes. “Are you okay?” She asks quietly, afraid almost.

“I am. I am fine.” She says with a gentle smile as she brings her hand up to brush some hair out of her face. Her fingers rest on her jaw and she brings her lips down to Nicole’s in a deep, sweet kiss.

Nicole pulls away first, needing air. When both of their eyes open Nicole curls her arm around Waverly’s waist and breathes her in.

“I love you, Waverly Earp.”

 

 

 

 

 


	28. Well-Felt Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things: This one is winding down. One more chapter after this and then an epilogue. I hate when stories overstay their welcome. Also, this chapter is short and really fucking sad. So, sorry about that. The last two will be sickeningly sweet probably.
> 
> I'm chomping at the bit to continue 'Heart of Gold'. I love period pieces and boy is this one going to have it all... :)
> 
> So, sit back, have a cry and get ready for tonight's Wynonna Earp episode. Sounds very intense!

Nicole sits in the quiet room, looking around at the pale green walls, generic pictures with serene landscape scenes and abundant flower arrangements she’s having a hard time telling whether they are fake or real.

“Ms. Haught? We’re ready for you now.”

She stands up, still a bit stiff and sore from her near completely healed wounds and follows the kind older woman to an office in the back of the building.

“How are the Earp sisters? I can’t imagine…” She begins as soon as she gestures for Nicole to take a seat across from her. She slides into her seat, it creaking slightly under the plump woman’s weight and Nicole gives her a sad smile as she places the small urn in front of her as well as some paperwork for her to sign.

Nicole interrupts as politely as she can, just wanting to sign the papers and get back to them.

“It is hard. Both Curtis and now Gus. But they are strong. They’ll be alright.” She offers with a reassuring smile as she looks for the space where her name goes.

“Oh, yes, here and here.” The woman says, indicating a couple of spots on the two pages.

“Thank you.” Nicole says as she stands and gently takes the urn.

“Of course. I’m.. Can you give the Earps my condolences please?” The woman says and Nicole can see she’s clearly concerned for them.

She looks at the woman and nods. “I certainly will, Mrs. Kavanaugh.” She answers with a solemn smile and thanks her once again before heading out and back to the homestead.

She toys with the idea of stopping at the store as she knows they need some groceries, but isn’t really too keen on leaving Gus’ urn in the car. She’s only left the homestead once since last week, and that was to pick up the urn today.

Waverly had started out very strong, seemingly accepting Gus’ death surprisingly well. She should have known better though. There’s really only so much a person can take. Nicole had been upstairs making the bed when she heard her finally break, and it wasn’t in front of her, it was with Doc and Wynonna.

_“She stopped me from trying to heal her and I can’t help but think if I could have just done a bit.” She hears Waverly’s tone become sadder and more defeated. If we just could have gotten her to the hospital…”_

_“Waverly, you can’t…” She hears Wynonna start, but she’s cut off abruptly._

_“Why not? I have these powers and I couldn’t use them on the two people that meant EVERYTHING to me!” Waverly sobs. “They’re both dead because of me!”_

_Nicole ignores the sting of Waverly’s words, knowing what she meant by them. She begins to go downstairs, but something makes her wait at the top of them._

_“No, they’re dead because of Bulshar.” She hears Doc’s voice now, strong, convicted. “You ladies are victims in all of this. This has been perpetrated_ **_upon_ ** _you. You did not cause this. Your great granddaddy did. Those that_ **_failed_ ** _to end the curse failed_ **_you_ ** _.” He finishes with fire in his tone._

_There is a long spell of silence and Nicole begins her decent down the stairs. She stops midway when she hears Waverly’s voice, stilted and sad._

_“None of that changes the fact that they are dead.” Nicole’s eyes close slowly in sympathy as Waverly takes in a lungful of air and sobs out loudly. “That fucking demon took EVERYTHING FROM ME!”_

_Nicole finishes her decent down the stairs as Waverly pushes away from the table they were sitting at and runs out of the homestead into the clear, cold night._

_“Let her go.” Wynonna says as she looks at Nicole who has a slightly panicked look in her eyes. She ignores Wynonna and continues on to the door._

_“Let her go, I said. I know her and I know she just needs a minute.” Wynonna says darkly as she stands, challenging the shape-shifter._

_Waverly doesn’t speak another word to any of them for the rest of that night, or for the next few days leaving Nicole to wonder if Waverly will ever let her back in._

…

She arrives at the homestead and it is quiet and still. They’d opted to just do a quiet ceremony for Gus as well, burying her remains right next to Curtis’. She thinks maybe they are upstairs getting ready.

She makes her way upstairs and is near Waverly’s door when she hears her crying and Wynonna speaking quietly. She opens the door slowly and Waverly looks up immediately, her eyes swollen, like she’d been crying quite a while.

Wynonna slips out nearly unnoticed as Nicole goes to the omega, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her. It’s the closest she’s been to her in a week and her heart quickens at her nearness.

She already knows what has happened the second Waverly turns in her arms and buries her head into her chest. A single tear turns into two and then her cheeks are covered in them.

“I started spotting yesterday, it just kept getting heavier and…” Waverly’s muffled voice gives out into more sobs.

Nicole closes her eyes tightly, digging her top teeth into her lip to keep herself calm and grounded for Waverly. She has no words that can comfort her so she just does what her body tells her to: She kicks off her shoes, slips off her jacket, mindful of keeping one hand on Waverly the whole time and leans back against the headboard, bringing the omega with her. Waverly doesn’t fight it either, she melts into Nicole’s chest, curling her hand around her alpha’s ribs and continues to cry until she falls into fitful sleep as Nicole silently weeps above her.

…

It’s barely dawn when there’s a soft knock on the door and then Wynonna lets herself in quietly. She quickly averts her eyes as Nicole slowly pulls the covers up over them, trying not to disturb Waverly’s sleep.

“When you guys are up and ready, we were going to lay Gus to rest.” Wynonna says in a whisper. She looks like she’s barely slept.

 

“Of course. She loved the mornings.” Nicole says softly with a small, wistful smile.

“I do remember that.” Wynonna smirks warmly.

“I’ll see if Waverly’s up for it. If she is we’ll be down in a bit.” Nicole says and Wynonna nods and takes her leave. She gets to the door and turns around.

“You’re the only one who can get her through this, Nicole.” She says quietly before slipping out the door before Nicole can respond.

Nicole tightens her hold slightly on the still sleeping Waverly as she recalls their late night exchange after they'd disrobed and crawled back into bed.

_“I wanted to tell you… before Bulshar… That I was happy, carrying your child. I was scared and it was terrible timing, but I look… looked forward to it.” Waverly got out softly as she looked up into Nicole’s eyes._

_Nicole’s face broke out into a sad, sympathetic look, her eyes wide and full of sorrow. “I am so sorry, baby.”_

_“When I realized I’d lost her…” She begins to cry again and Nicole squeezes her tight, placing kisses on top of her head and then forehead as Waverly leans up slightly, drinking in Nicole’s warmth and comfort._

_After a few moments, Nicole asks quietly, tentatively, “Her?”_

_“Yes. We were going to have a daughter.” Waverly says with such sadness, Nicole feels her heart squeeze painfully and she loses her breath for a second. She wants to ask Waverly how she knew, but instead tilts Waverly’s face up and gives her a soul binding kiss that puts them both at ease instantly._

_She wants to tell Waverly that there’s time. They’ll try again, but she knows this is not what Waverly needs to hear right now. What she needs now is Nicole’s quiet strength and the unspoken but well-felt promise that she was not going anywhere and would be by Waverly’s side until her last breath._

…

Waverly leaned quietly against Nicole during the short ceremony. Even when Nicole said a few words, she never loosened her grasp across Nicole’s back. When an extended pause traveled through the small gathering after everyone said their piece, Waverly finally spoke.

“I’ll never forgive you for not letting me try and heal you, but I think I understand why you did it. I’ll try every day to live up to the ideal you had for me. I love you, Gus. I know you’re with Curtis, looking down on us.”

And with that, Doc and Nicole grab a shovel each and dig a small hole next to Curtis and gently spread the ashes into it. Wynonna kneels down and pushes the dirt over the hole, patting it reverently before standing back up.  “You stubborn old mule.” She murmurs with tears in her eyes.

“You’re a lot like her.” Waverly says and before Wynonna can take offense, Waverly graces her with a sweet, loving smile. “Come on, lets go find that apple recipe and butcher it so bad she comes back to haunt us.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	29. Of Course I Will

It takes a few days after Gus’ funeral for anyone to mention going to the McCready ranch. No one wants to see where Bulshar attacked Gus. Nicole volunteers though, as everyone figured she would.

Waverly barely registers her absence. She’s still very lost in her own grief and heartache and feels like a ghost, wandering the homestead, not knowing what to do with herself. She knows she needs to find a way out of it, but can’t fathom how. She wishes she were more like Nicole, able to turn her grief into action.

The alpha hadn’t been still for more than it took to sleep or eat. She’d already helped Doc with the homestead property, repairing or throwing out everything that got damaged in the fight.

She’d gone back to the cabin to bury Juan Carlo properly and then finally, she hunted down Rosita. She had planned to exact revenge on her for what she did to the omega, but then she learned Bulshar had put her under some kind of spell. Rosita had been so ashamed, she’d skipped town, unable to face what she’d done, spell or no spell. Nicole decided to let her go, even promising to pass on a message to tell Waverly she was sorry.

And now the shape-shifter was sitting in the living room after discarding the broken table Bulshar must have thrown Gus into and rolling up and throwing out the braided area rug where he left her broken and bleeding.

She sits in silence, pushing tears away, refusing to let the dam break. There was still work to do, animals to be fed, Curtis’ tomato garden to be tended to.

She got up and got to it.

 

…

 

“Thank you for going to…” Wynonna says, but can’t even finish her sentence as Nicole walks up the steps of the homestead’s front porch.

“Of course.” Nicole responds with a small, sympathetic smile. “Nedley sent someone out to feed the cows, but I think.. I think I should stay out there, tend to the ranch until…” Nicole says with a shrug. Truth is, she feels useless here at the Earp Homestead with Waverly and Wynonna in the throes of what feels like decades of grief built up between them. Even Doc has made himself scarce, though where he went to was a mystery to all.

“Oh, yes, right. I guess we need to make some decisions.” Wynonna says quietly, her eyes darting across the landscape absently. She takes a long sip from the tumbler of whisky Nicole hadn’t seen in her hand. Her eyes come back and land on Nicole, squinting slightly as she regards her for a few seconds.

“Waverly’s upstairs resting. You should go talk to her first.” Wynonna says, her eyes sliding back out to the horizon as Nicole nods, takes a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh as she pushes through the front door.

 

Nicole slips into the bedroom quietly and shuts the door slowly. She leans on it, watching Waverly sleep for a few moments.

“Come lay with me.” She hears, muffled, sleepy. Her eyes widen in surprise more at the request than the fact Waverly is awake.

Nicole makes her way to the bed, slipping off her shoes, jeans and overcoat and sliding in behind Waverly. Waverly scoots back until her hips are cradled into Nicole’s. “I’m sorry I didn’t go with you to Gus and Curtis’ place.” She says tiredly, lacking conviction.

Nicole brings her arm around Waverly, pulling her a bit tighter. “I think I should stay over there to tend to the animals until you and Wynonna decide what to do with the place.” Nicole says. She waits for Waverly’s response, holding her breath.

“Okay.” She answers slow, emotionless. Nicole waits for more, but nothing further comes out of Waverly’s mouth. Nicole lays her head down, letting out the breath she was holding, slow and sad.

…

Nicole takes her hat off and swipes at her brow before the sweat can reach her eyes. It feels good- the work, the sore muscles, the slight sunburn, the sweat. She’s been keeping up the McCready’s ranch for a couple of weeks now, making repairs and improvements with the intent of having it ready as soon as the Earp sisters decide what to do, whether it’s renting it out, leasing the land or selling it all.

She returns to the homestead in the evening for a few hours to have dinner and to check in with Waverly. She feels if she didn’t, she’d simply slip away from her. There are glimpses of her old self every once in a while, but Nicole has since given up much hope that she’ll be able to help Waverly at all. Wynonna’s words about her being the only one to get Waverly through this ring hollow now as she watches the sisters huddled together talking quietly.

“I’m gonna head back.” She says as she stands from her spot on the couch where she was reading the morning’s newspaper.

Wynonna looks up at her words, as does Waverly. There’s a flicker of something- guilt, disappointment- in Waverly’s eyes but Nicole soldiers on, walking to the door and grabbing her light coat and hat.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow night.” She says and with a nod, she’s out the door.

She’s almost to the truck when she hears the door open and footsteps padding quickly across the porch and down the steps.

Her heart thrums hard as she turns but then it lurches as she sees it’s Wynonna, not Waverly.

“Nicole, Waverly…”

“Wynonna, don’t…” She says, hands up as if to physically stave off a weak excuse for Waverly shutting her out so completely. “I know she needs you. You are her family. It’s okay. I get it.” Nicole says, stomach roiling at the bout of self-pity she’s been wallowing in, now voiced.

Wynonna’s head snaps back slightly, surprised at Nicole’s words. Then her eyes narrow and she sets her jaw.

“She just lost the woman who raised her. She just lost _her_ _child_. Now the love of her life has left her to deal with this alone.” She gets out with clinched teeth, eyes fire.

“She doesn’t want me around!” Nicole shouts, the truth of her words breaking her.

Wynonna’s eyes soften and she looks up to the sky, taking a deep breath.

“We all deal with grief differently. You think she wants to feel this way?” Wynonna asks, her tone sad and defensive.

“I.. she…” Nicole sputters, unable to voice her thoughts. She doesn’t know what to _do_ for Waverly. She has no magic powers to take away her sadness, her grief like Waverly did for her. She feels inadequate and Waverly has made no effort to convince her otherwise.

“Look, you can go out back to the ranch and wait for Waverly to turn the corner, which she _will_ , or you can swallow your pride, or ego or whatever and just stay. The ranch won’t collapse overnight. We’ll figure it out eventually.” Wynonna says, trying to tamp down her exasperation. She really does think a lot of Nicole. But right now her priority is her sister. And she knows her sister will not voice it, but she needs Nicole.

“Just be present for her. She’s used to people going away. Don’t do that to her.” She states solemnly. Nicole hears it for the plea that it is.

 

Nicole enters the homestead after Wynonna and sees that Waverly has moved from the living room. She looks at Wynonna quizzically.

“I think she might have gone to bed.” Wynonna shrugs.

Once again, Nicole heads up to Waverly’s room, letting herself in quietly. She hears the shower running in the bathroom and decides to wait on the bed so she doesn’t scare her.

She hears her begin to sob in the shower and thoughts of waiting disappear as she strides into the bathroom.

“Waves?” She says loud enough to be heard over the spray.

“Nicole…” She hears Waverly say, full of desperate relief. It breaks Nicole’s heart all over again and she shrugs off her clothes as quickly as she can and joins her in the shower. She’s barely got the glass pulled shut before Waverly sags against her, clinging to her and sobbing so hard, she’s afraid they’ll both fall.

Nicole stands firm and steady, holding her omega while she lets everything out, all the grief and heartache wash over her. She caresses her back, her wet hair, her lips tucked in above her ear until the water runs cold. Only then does she lead them out, wrapping Waverly in a towel, gently drying her hair and pulling her robe around her and guiding her out of the bathroom and to the bed.

“Your still all wet.” Waverly observes with a watery, concerned expression.

“I’ll dry off in a minute.” She says smoothing Waverly’s still damp hair.

“Will you stay, please?” Waverly looks up and asks with round, red hopeful eyes.

“Of course I will, Baby. Of course I will.”

 

…

 

Nicole hears Wynonna’s motorcycle before she sees it and she pulls her hat down and watches the trail of dust carry all the way up to the house. She tosses the last bail of hay out of the truck and climbs in, heading to the house as well.

Her eyes widen when she sees Waverly slipping off the back and pulling off her helmet.

“That’s the last time I catch a ride with you.” She admonishes her sister with a mild glare. It turns into a blinding smile when she sees Nicole jump out of the truck.

She walks up to her and pulls some straw off of her rolled up shirt sleeve. “Are you done playing with the cows?” She teases as her hand goes to Nicole’s and squeezes.

“Uh, you mean feeding them? Yes.” Nicole says with a crooked smile. Her heart swells at the twinkle in Waverly’s eyes. They’ve come a long way in the two months since Bulshar’s attack and Nicole will never take these moments for granted.

“Well, I have a proposition for you.” She says coyly and tugs on her alpha’s hand, leading her to the house.

Nicole follows obediently, wondering what the youngest Earp is up to. Whatever it is, she knows she’ll say yes.

“I’m gonna go… do … stuff.” Wynonna announces awkwardly, swinging her arms at her sides like a child.

She gives a perfunctory smile to Nicole and her sister and heads out the door.

“She’s so weird.” Nicole observes with a slow shake of her head.

“Yeah.” Waverly says quietly. Nicole turns to look at her and notices Waverly seems nervous as her eyes dart around and her hands come together.

“So, what did you want to propose?” Nicole asks lightly.

“Well, I’ve talked to Wynonna and well, we can’t fathom letting go of this place…” She shrugs.

“Oh. Do you want me to run it for you guys?” The alpha sits down but continues to look at Waverly for confirmation.

“Uh. What if we run it.. together? We live here, together?” She asks, a pained, hesitant smile on her face.

“You, me and Wynonna? What about the homestead?” Nicole inquires, trying to take in the news.

“Oh, no, not Wynonna. She’d stay on at the homestead. It would just be you and me.” She says, plopping down finally next to Nicole.

Nicole lets a large, dimpled smile run across her face. “I’d love to.”

 

 

 

 

 


	30. Sweet, Sweet Alpha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is, the tooth-rotting epilogue. Hope you all enjoyed my shape-shifting, two-spirit, angels and demons alpha/omega tale! Thanks very much for reading and commenting!

**_One year later…_ **

Waverly sits on the porch watching her alpha finish putting the roof on the newly renovated chicken coop. It’s a warm, late spring day so Nicole had stripped down to a gray tank top that had turned darker with sweat and had her hair pulled up into a baseball cap, also showing ample sweat marks. Waverly could smell her strong scent from her spot on the porch.

“Whew, settle down there, Waverly.” She chuckles to herself as Nicole stands up straight and lifts the tail of her tank top to wipe her brow. Waverly gets up from her chair and goes to get Nicole a nice big glass of ice water. When she comes out, she sees Nicole has stopped her work and is now looking around for the omega. She smiles as she makes her way down the porch stairs.

“Looks like you need this.” Waverly smiles as she hands Nicole the glass.

“Thanks, Waves.” She grins as she downs the water in three big gulps. She makes a satisfied sigh and hands the glass back.

“When you’re done, why don’t you come upstairs?” She suggests coyly as she reaches up and runs a finger from Nicole’s sweaty brow to her bottom lip.

“Yes ma’am.” Nicole says with a quick salute.

By the time Waverly has washed and dried the glass and made her way upstairs and walks to the window, she sees that Nicole has finished the last of the shingles and is now hurriedly dumping her tools back in a bucket and hauling them to the barn. She continues to watch until Nicole is making her way to the house. She goes to turn the shower on for her alpha.

Nicole grins to herself as she quickly pulls her boots off and heads to the stairs taking them two at a time, stripping her soaked, clingy tank top and bra off. By the time she’s at the top of the stairs she is sliding her jeans and briefs down. She arrives in front of their bedroom completely naked except for her socks and Waverly marvels at the sight of her lithe body. She takes in every sinewy muscle and scar and decides she can’t wait. She moves towards the tall red-head as quick as she can and brings her hands to Nicole’s jaw pulling her down for a searing kiss.

“Baby, I stink.” Nicole laughs into the kiss as she grabs Waverly’s hands gently, sliding them off her face so she can get to the shower.

“Not to me. You smell like.. you know, when we last…” She says with a shy smile. Nicole looks down knowing she’s missing a certain appendage that only happens when she’s in rut. She sighs, hating disappointing her omega.

“Hey, I didn’t mean that. Come here, come lay down with me.” Waverly says and guides her alpha to the bed. She smiles when the alpha molds herself around her body and they both lay in silence for a moment, recalling the same memory.

_Waverly had been irritable and distant with Nicole for a couple of days and Nicole had been at a loss as to what it was about, or what she did. After a day and a half of trying to get her mate to talk, she finally had had enough and one day while out in the barn, stripped and shifted, intent on forgetting her human problems for a few hours._

_She didn’t get far when her nose, extra sensitive in her cougar form, picked up her mate’s scent._ Oh, that’s why… _she thought and sauntered back to the homestead._

_As she got closer, she thought back to the way Waverly had treated her. It irked her that Waverly just didn’t come out and say she was going into heat. It had been so long._

_Perhaps it scared her, though. Last time she was in heat and they conceived, she lost the baby. Maybe Waverly didn’t want Nicole around when she was in heat and just couldn’t tell her._

_She decided she wouldn’t change back right away, testing the waters with the omega. Besides, she had an inordinately soft side for Nicole in cougar form. She made her way back to the house, mewling loudly and pawing at the door until her big paw was able to rotate the knob and the door swung open slowly. She pushed her way in and padded to the kitchen where she heard Waverly putting dishes away rather aggressively._

_“What are you doing, coming into the house like that!” Waverly admonishes. The cougar shrinks back and Waverly softens._

_“I’m in heat. But I bet you already knew that.” She continues talking to the big cat with a sigh and of course a bit confused as to why Nicole came into the kitchen as a cougar. She pauses, cup in hand and looks at her mate. Realization dawns on her and she gets a sad, watery smile as her eyes tear up._

_“Is that why you are in cougar form? You don’t want…” Waverly breaks off in tears. The big cat goes to her and curls around her legs, purring softly, trying to convey comfort. Big soft cat eyes look into human hazel ones and Waverly feels a warmth blossom in her chest. Nicole is staying in cougar form to stop her rut, knowing Waverly isn’t ready._

_“God you sweet, sweet alpha.” Waverly gets down to a knee and hugs the cougar tightly around her neck. She pulls back and scratches between her ears, giggling when they twitch in delight. Her fear and trepidation melt away as she absorbs the infinite love and caring coming from her shape-shifting alpha._

_“You can shift back, Nicole. I want you to. I want **you**.”_

Waverly’s loud, blissful sigh pulls Nicole out of her reverie and she presses her lips to her omega’s forehead.

“That weekend was incredible. I remember, in between multiple, mind-blowing orgasms, how lucky I was that you wandered into Shorty’s.” Waverly smiles as she snuggles into Nicole’s neck.

“I knew the day I met you I had to stick around. I had to see you again.” Nicole recalls, tightening her arms around Waverly for a moment.

“And now look at us.” Waverly sighs happily as she feels Nicole begin to move and slide down her body. She giggles when the alpha stops at her swollen belly, giving it a little tap and begins kissing it.

“Yep. And in a couple of months you’ll be having my babies.” She looks up into bright hazel eyes with an adorable if not smug grin.

“And I can’t wait to meet these two.” She says as her hand caresses her belly before resting on Nicole’s cheek. “But right now I’m interested in what that tongue of yours can do for me.” Waverly husks out as she finds a comfortable position and threads her fingers through bright auburn locks and is soon moaning into her pillow, calling her alpha’s name over and over.

 

 


End file.
